The Atlanta Falcons are making a change at quarterback to hopefully salvage their season.
The Falcons are benching veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota for rookie backup Desmond Ridder, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Through 13 games the Falcons are 5-8, a game and a half back from the four seed in the NFL playoff picture.
Sources: The #Falcons are looking to the future, making a QB switch to rookie Desmond Ridder as the starter. pic.twitter.com/x5GDff5VFx
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 8, 2022
The benching is a surprise, considering that Mariota has put up decent numbers this season. The QB has thrown 15 touchdown passes to just 9 interceptions and has a solid quarterback rating of 88.2, according to Pro Football Reference. (RELATED: LA Rams Claim Baker Mayfield Off Waivers)
Moreover, throwing a third-round pick into the fire so suddenly like this doesn’t necessarily set Ridder up for great success. It’s a bold move, but I doubt it will pay off for the team due to Ridder’s inexperience playing at the professional level.
Though Ridder played great at Cincinnati and threw for over 10,000 yards throughout his college career, the NFL is a much different animal than college football. Every rookie quarterback I’ve seen, except Patrick Mahomes, gets humbled during their inaugural season in the NFL. Unless Ridder is the next great NFL quarterback, I can’t see him leading Atlanta to the top of the NFC South standings and catching up with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the coveted four seed.
If the Falcons wanted to make a change at quarterback so badly, they could have waited until the offseason to do so.