The Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota has been benched ahead of the team’s game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, sources revealed to ESPN on Thursday.
The decision to bench Mariota comes as a result of the Falcons’ poor recent form, having lost four of their last five games and scoring more than 20 points on just one occasion.
Following the 19-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday, Falcons coach Arthur Smith revealed that he is considering using rookie Desmond Ridder in Mariota’s place during the Saints game.
Selected by the Falcons in the third round of this year’s draft, Ridder was a starter for Cincinnati for four years. According to Smith, it had been the plan all season to develop Ridder as a backup to Mariota.
Being benched is not a new phenomenon for Mariota. The quarterback also fell out of favor with the Tennessee Titans during the 2019 season, before regaining his position and eventually trading to the Falcons in March. The current season has not been all bad for Mariota, as he was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week during Week 6 after completing 92.9% of his passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns.
