The Falcons lost their second straight game on Thursday night, this time to the 3–7 Panthers, and quarterback Marcus Mariota struggled once again. The quarterback failed to take advantage of opportunities to try and regain first place in the NFC South.
The loss led many to question whether it is time for Falcons third-round quarterback Desmond Ritter to get a chance. After the game, head coach Arthur Smith sidestepped questions about changing quarterbacks, and didn’t confirm that Mariota will remain starter.
“I know those are popular narratives, those are the easy questions to ask,” Smith said, via ProFootballTalk. “But as a whole football team, we’ve got to do a better job, starting with myself. So, we look every week to make sure we’ve got the right guys in the right spots.”
Along with Mariota’s struggles, the Falcons defense also let up 25 points to a weaker Carolina offense. Smith maintained that the entire team needs to play better, not just Mariota.
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“We had an opportunity at the end of the fourth quarter the last two weeks, and a lot of different ways, and a lot of different phases where we’ve got to get better,” he said. “And we’ve got an opportunity to do that with seven games left.”
Even though Atlanta is 4–6 they are still only 0.5 games out of first place thanks to the weak division. With games against the Bears, Commanders and Steelers approaching, Atlanta could get back on track to compete for a division title.
Still, in order to do that, the Falcons need better quarterback play one way or another.
