Posted on: December 14, 2022, 10:18h.
Final up to date on: December 14, 2022, 01:53h.
The Atlanta Falcons had no selection however to ship quarterback Marcus Mariota to the IR after he abruptly left the group the day after he was demoted to backup duties.
Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith and quarterback Marcus Mariota engaged in a pregame dialogue at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. (Picture: Getty)
The Falcons have been on a bye in Week 14 after they indicated they wished to modify issues up at quarterback for his or her subsequent recreation. Head coach Arthur Smith promoted rookie Desmond Ridder to beginning quarterback, however Mariota didn’t deal with his demotion like knowledgeable.
Josh Kendall from The Athletic reported that Mariota left the group, which implies the Falcons misplaced their backup quarterback. With out Mariota, the Falcons put in third-string quarterback Logan Woodside because the backup behind Ridder towards the Saints on Sunday.
The Falcons even have the versatile Feleipe Franks on their roster. Franks is a backup tight finish who may take over because the emergency quarterback.
The New Orleans Saints host the Falcons in Week 15 on the Superdome. The Falcons are a +4 street canine with Ridder getting his first NFL begin.
The Saints beat the Falcons in Week 1 when the Falcons squandered a 16-point lead within the fourth quarter and misplaced, 27-26. The Saints pulled off a outstanding comeback within the season opener, and the Falcons waited 14 weeks for a revenge rematch.
Falcons Lengthy Shot to Win Terrible NFC South
The Falcons are 5-8, however they play within the NFC South, which is the worst division within the NFL this season. All 4 groups within the division have a shedding file, together with the first-place Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 6-7 and the Carolina Panthers in second place with a 5-8 file. Solely two wins separate the first-place Bucs and the last-place Saints (4-9).
The NFC South division winner will safe a playoff berth, even when they’ve a shedding file. In keeping with FiveThirtyEight, the Bucs have a 65% likelihood to win the division and advance to the playoffs. The Panthers have a 31% likelihood to overhaul the Bucs and win the NFC South. The Falcons are a protracted shot with a 4% likelihood to grab away the division title. Even the Saints have but to be mathematically eradicated, however they’ve lower than a 1% likelihood to drag off a near-impossible feat.
With 4 weeks remaining within the common season, the NFC South crown continues to be huge open. Oddsmakers at DraftKings put in the Bucs because the betting favourite at -280 odds to win the NFC South. The Panthers are +300 odds to win the division, and the Falcons are +1200 odds because the lengthy shot.
The loser of the Saints/Falcons recreation will get knocked out of the NFC South race and eradicated from playoff rivalry.
The Bucs face a tricky matchup in Week 15 towards the red-hot Cincinnati Bengals. Tom Brady is a uncommon residence canine at +3.5 towards Joe Burrow and the Bengals.
The Panthers are a slight -2 favourite towards the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15. The Steelers have but to call a beginning quarterback with Kenny Pickett at present in concussion protocol.
Falcons Promote Ridder, Mariota Skips City
Nobody from the Falcons is aware of the place Mariota went, however all indicators level towards his residence in Hawaii. Mariota grew up in Hawaii, the place he was a multisport star at Saint Louis Faculty in Honolulu. As a three-year beginning quarterback at Oregon, Mariota led the Geese to a 36-5 file within the early 2010s. In 2014, he was a unanimous All-American and gained the Heisman Trophy.
The Tennessee Titans chosen Mariota with the #2 choose within the 2015 NFL Draft. He had an inconsistent run with the Titans, principally due to quite a few accidents.
In 2019, Mariota misplaced his beginning job to backup Ryan Tannehill. The benching labored, as a result of Tannehill reinvigorated the sputtering offense and led the Titans to a berth within the AFC Championship recreation.
Smith was the offensive coordinator with the Titans in 2019 when head coach Mike Vrabel made the robust however apparent choice to bench Mariota in favor of Tannehill. Mariota took the demotion in stride.
Flash ahead three years later. As the pinnacle coach of the Falcons, Smith made the same choice to bench Mariota in favor of Ridder.
These conversations are by no means straightforward,” Smith informed The Athletic. “You attempt to be truthful, whether or not they agree or not, these are the conversations you need to have.”
In contrast to his demotion in 2019, Mariota didn’t deal with the information properly in 2022.
Mariota mentioned he wanted to step away from the group to heal an injured knee. The Falcons indicated that they have been unaware of any knee accidents this season.
On Wednesday, Smith revealed that Mariota will endure knee surgical procedure. It’s not the primary time {that a} participant hid an harm from the group.
Smith: Ridder Can Push Falcons Over the Hump
The Falcons are technically nonetheless alive within the playoff hunt. However they’d must win all of their remaining video games. Additionally they want their divisional rivals to lose key video games.
The Falcons have a combating likelihood, which is why Smith and the Falcons determined to start out Ridder. They assume the rookie will assist improve their probabilities of advancing to the postseason.
The Falcons began the season 4-4, however then went 1-4 over their subsequent 5 video games with a slumping Mariota. 4 out of these 5 video games have been determined by one rating. Of their earlier six losses, the Falcons averaged solely 15.5 factors per recreation.
We talked about making an attempt to recover from the hump in a few of these shut video games and the place we’re making an attempt to push the offense,” mentioned Smith. “We really feel prefer it’s the perfect choice the place Ridder is at. I wouldn’t have made this choice if I didn’t assume it was in the perfect curiosity of this group, not solely quick time period however most likely long run as properly.”
If the Falcons miss the playoffs, then a minimum of they will see Ridder in motion and consider how far he’s come as a future prospect. By designating Mariota to the IR, he’s out for the subsequent 4 video games, or not capable of go well with up for the rest of the common season.
“Ridder at all times appeared fairly good at apply,” mentioned operating again Caleb Huntley. “He makes the throws that he must, and he’s at all times assured, so I do know he’ll be prepared.”
