CINCINNATI, Ohio - There will be a change under center in Atlanta.
Quarterback Marcus Mariota will be benched ahead of the Falcons’ Week 15 game against New Orleans next Sunday in favor of rookie Desmond Ridder, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The Falcons, who are currently in their bye week, are focused on the future after Ridder patiently sat on the bench behind Mariota for the entire season up to this point.
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The 5-8 Falcons have mostly struggled with Mariota. He has thrown for just 2,219 yards this season with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions, completing 61.3% of his passes. Atlanta signed Mariota, who was once a promising young quarterback, in free agency this offseason. They also traded away veteran quarterback and one-time MVP Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts earlier this year.
Ridder was a third-round pick of the Falcons earlier this year, 74th overall and the second quarterback to be drafted. He was a star for the Cincinnati Bearcats, helping lead them to a College Football Playoff berth as a senior in 2021.
Ridder showed promise in the preseason, so now the Falcons will look to utilize the talent from the star rookie as they’ll be fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Mohammad Ahmad covers the Bengals for cleveland.com. You can follow him on Twitter @MohammadAhmadTV and read all his coverage at StrictlyStripes.com.
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