The Atlanta Falcons are surprisingly in contention for the NFC South. Winning the division is, at the moment, the only way for them to make the playoffs but they are right behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. For this reason, Marcus Mariota is slated to stick to his starting quarterback spot over rookie Desmond Ridder.
As head coach Arthur Smith continues to insist he will roll with Mariota, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that the Falcons aren't going to make a quarterback change while they remain in the playoff picture. But he also added that Atlanta likes what it sees with Ridder.
“Smith shot down any questions about the team's QB situation. And sources say Mariota will, indeed, remain the starter for the foreseeable future…The Falcons, sources say, do love the development of the third-rounder from Cincinnati,” Rapoport writes.
Mariota has started each game for the Falcons this season and compiled 1,747 passing yards, 347 rushing yards, 12 passing touchdowns, three rushing touchdowns, seven interceptions and a pass completion percentage of 61.9 percent. He has done a serviceable enough job to keep the team in playoff contention, though he still limits the team's ceiling.
Moving forward, the Falcons will have to let Desmond Ridder get a shot of proving he can be franchise guy. But since they are looking t be competitive right now, they are deciding to play it safe.
Against the Chicago Bears in Week 11, Marcus Mariota and the Falcons will look to break out of their losing slump and make progress toward the postseason.
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