Marcus Mariota

It's Desmond Ridder's time. And the Atlanta Falcons have approached his rookie season as though that time would come this year.

"I'm prepared for this," Ridder told reporters on Wednesday. "This is what they've been preparing me for. They didn't want to baby me."

Marcus Mariota has been the starting quarterback up until this point, but head coach Arthur Smith chose to make the switch to Ridder during the bye, giving him an extra week to prepare as the starter for Sunday's matchup with the New Orleans Saints.

Ridder, 23, has yet to play at all in the regular season after being Atlanta's Round 3 pick in the 2022 NFL draft. But he's felt as though the team has been preparing him for the possibility of seeing the field at any moment.

"It means going about the game plan how a 12-year vet, an eight-year vet, whatever it may be," Ridder told reporters. "Not putting on a wristband, (but) making me memorize every single play call, all the ins and outs, all the checks, all the cadence, just taking it like I've been in the league for eight years (even though) I've been in the league for six months."

Amid reporters that Marcus Mariota left the Atlanta Falcons upon learning Desmond Ridder would be the starting quarterback for the rest of the season, head coach Arthur Smith addressed his status.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Smith said Mariota's decision to have knee surgery "had nothing to do with" the decision to play Ridder.

Josh Kendall of The Athletic reported the Falcons learned on Friday, one day after it was reported Ridder would take over at quarterback, that Mariota was going to step away from the team.

Smith confirmed the quarterback change on Monday, and told reporters the decision was "performance-based" due to Mariota's struggles.

During the same press conference, Smith said Mariota's knee was "nothing that has been an issue this season," but it was Mariota's "prerogative" to do what he felt was in his best interest.

Ridder was the second quarterback taken in the 2022 NFL draft. He was selected by the Falcons with the 74th overall pick. The 23-year-old was a two-time AAC Offensive Player of the Year winner at Cincinnati. He has yet to appear in a game this season.

The Falcons signed Mariota to a two-year contract as a free agent in March. He was named the team's starter early in training camp and has played each of the first 13 games this season.

Mariota has played okay in Smith's offense with 2,219 passing yards, 438 rushing yards and 19 total touchdowns (15 passing, four rushing).

After scoring at least 23 points in each of their first four games, the Falcons have been held to fewer than 20 points in six of their past nine games.

Despite having a 5-8 record, the Falcons are only one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for first place in the NFC South. They will play the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome on Sunday.

When the Atlanta Falcons made the decision to give rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder a chance to start this week instead of veteran Marcus Mariota, they were reportedly unaware that Mariota would be out indefinitely.

According to The Athletic's Josh Kendall, Mariota is away to have a "chronic" knee issue evaluated, and the Falcons "don't know when or if" he will return to the team. Kendall added that Atlanta anticipates placing the signal-caller on injured reserve.

Mariota, who signed a two-year deal with the Falcons this offseason, started the first 13 games of the season. He threw for 167 yards, a touchdown and an interception in last Sunday's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. At 5-8, Atlanta has a slim chance of making the playoffs, prompting the switch to Ridder during the team's bye last week.

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith acknowledged that not having Mariota as a safety net increases the risk that comes with starting a rookie quarterback. Smith said Mariota's knee "is nothing that has been an issue this season, but that's (Mariota's) prerogative so… Of course, you want all your guys to be here, but guys have to make decisions. It's part of professional sports. You have to have contingency plans."

Earlier this week, the Falcons signed quarterback Logan Woodside off the Tennessee Titans practice squad. The 2018 seventh-round pick will act as the backup to Ridder and is the most experienced quarterback on the roster now that Mariota is out, having attempted three passes in his NFL career.

Second-year player Feleipe Franks, who switched to tight end this offseason, will act as the emergency quarterback. The former Arkansas and Florida signal-caller attempted one pass as a rookie in 2021, and it was intercepted.

The Falcons will hope to see some promise from Ridder when he takes the field this Sunday against the New Orleans Saints (4-9).

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota will likely be placed on injured reserve with a knee injury, head coach Arthur Smith told reporters Monday.

The Falcons were already set to replace Mariota with rookie Desmond Ridder.

Mariota signed a two-year, $18.75 million deal with the Falcons during the offseason following a two-year stint with the Las Vegas Raiders.

In 13 games this season, he has completed 61.3 passes for 2,219 yards and 15 touchdowns against nine interceptions. He has also rushed for 438 yards and four scores.

The 2015 second overall pick said he signed with Atlanta because Smith told him he had an opportunity to start right away following the team's decision to trade Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts.

"It really came down to the opportunity," Mariota told reporters. "He said there's a chance for you to play, a chance for you to start right away. Really for me at this point in time in my career, that's what I was looking for."

Mariota appeared in 11 games with the Raiders but didn't make any starts, completing 18 of 30 passes for 230 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed for 175 yards and two scores.

Before joining the Raiders, the 29-year-old spent the first five seasons of his career with the Tennessee Titans. He was inconsistent during his time with the Titans and was labeled a draft bust.

That said, Mariota has dealt with injuries throughout his career. He missed four games during the 2015 season with a sprained MCL and one game in 2016 after breaking his fibula.

Mariota then missed one game in 2017 with a hamstring strain and two games in 2018 with a neck stinger and elbow sprain. He started six games in 2019 before being replaced by Ryan Tannehill.

He suffered a quad strain last year with the Raiders and was placed on injured reserve and missed five games.

Ridder was a third-round pick by the Falcons in the 2022 NFL draft. He spent his college career at Cincinnati, winning AAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2020 and 2021.

The Atlanta Falcons are reportedly using their Week 14 bye to usher in a quarterback change.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Falcons will bench Marcus Mariota and turn the offense over to rookie Desmond Ridder ahead of their Week 15 matchup with the rival New Orleans Saints.

Asking a rookie to make his first career start at the Superdome is a daunting proposition, but the Saints are just 4-9 on the season and largely playing out the string at this point.

The 5-8 Falcons may be doing the same, which is surely one reason they made this move. While Mariota has been a solid quarterback at times, he is not the future in Atlanta and is scheduled for free agency in 2024 with a potential out on his deal in 2023.

Ridder, whom the Falcons selected with a third-round pick in this year's draft, may be that future, and this is the beginning of the team's process toward figuring out whether that is the case.

While he slipped in the draft, the rookie helped the Cincinnati Bearcats become the first-ever Group of Five conference team to reach the College Football Playoff last season. He completed 64.9 percent of his passes for 3,334 yards, 30 touchdowns and eight interceptions in his final collegiate season.

Ridder also appeared in all three of the Falcons' preseason games and threw for a combined 331 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

It is easy to wonder about Ridder's upside and where Atlanta may be in the standings if it made this move earlier given the nature of the NFC South. The 6-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in first place, and the Falcons are technically still within striking distance considering their final game is a head-to-head matchup with Tom Brady and Co.

Mariota completed 61.3 percent of his passes for 2,219 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions while adding 438 yards and four scores on the ground.

The team's offense was largely conservative with him under center in an effort to avoid key mistakes, and it remains to be seen whether it will have the same approach with a rookie signal-caller.

But the future is now for the Falcons.

This year's Thursday Night Football slate hasn't provided a showcase of stellar execution, and this week's matchup between the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons was no different. Fans of great quarterback play weren't treated to much of it.

Of course, this has been par for the course this year in the NFC South, a division that very well may feature four new Week 1 starters in 2023.

We saw a mostly good performance from Panthers quarterback PJ Walker, though Carolina leaned heavily on the ground game. The 2017 undrafted free agent out of Temple finished 10-of-16 for 108 yards.

Walker hit on a few deep passes but didn't provide much potency in the short-to-intermediate game.

PJ Walker rarely threw the ball downfield tonight as 12 of 15 throws were under 10 Air Yards. On those 12 throws Carolina only gained 18 yards

On throws between 10-19 Air Yards, he was 3/3 for 80 yards

— TNF Prime Vision (@TNFPrimeVision) November 11, 2022

We also saw a handful of good plays from Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota—including a pair of touchdowns—but his performance was largely difficult to watch. He finished 19-of-30 for 186 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, and he played worse than the numbers suggest.

Mariota was hesitant in the pocket (sacked five times) and made some baffling throws. He repeatedly hurt his team with accuracy issues and poor decisions. For much of the night, he let the ball loose with reckless abandon—including on one fourth-quarter throw that would have been an interception if Mariota hadn't been ruled down by contact a moment before.

Marcus Mariota is having himself a night.https://t.co/Ov0E5XmgbW

— PFSN (@PFN365) November 11, 2022

Mariota also had a potential interception dropped near the end zone in the first quarter.

Unsurprisingly, many watching at home wondered if the Falcons would give rookie third-round pick Desmond Ridder a look with Mariota struggling.

I like Marcus Mariota, but it’s time (overdue) for Desmond Ridder. See what he’s got.

— Moe Moton (@MoeMoton) November 11, 2022

There are a few reasons the Falcons should give Ridder a look over the final eight weeks of the season. Yes, Atlanta is still in the thick of the NFC South race, but Mariota isn't going to carry the Falcons to a division title. He came into Thursday night completing 61.7 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions, and Atlanta has struggled to truly open up its offense with him under center.

Just consider that tight end Kyle Pitts was a 1,000-yard receiver as a rookie and has just 313 yards through nine games.

Mariota has been a capable game-manager, and his dual-threat ability complements Atlanta's run-first offense well, but as he showed on Thursday, he can't put the offense on his back when Atlanta needs to win through the air.

Would Ridder really be any more of a risk under center than Mariota? Perhaps. However, he could also be the future at the quarterback position in Atlanta. He showed a ton last season (3,334 passing yards, 30 TDs, 8 INTs) while leading the Cincinnati Bearcats to the College Football Playoff.

The Falcons won't get an answer if they don't give Ridder an opportunity, and they need answers. Mariota isn't the long-term answer, and if Ridder isn't either, they'll be looking at next year's draft for their new franchise QB.

The 2023 quarterback draft class—likely headlined by C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young and Will Levis—is widely expected to be better than the 2022 class. The Falcons may have a shot at one of the top prospects, and the Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be looking at quarterbacks in the first round as well.

The Saints don't have a first-round selection due to their 2022 first-round trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.

With all due respect to Walker, he probably isn't the future in Carolina. He's simply been more consistent than trade acquisition Baker Mayfield and healthier than Sam Darnold and rookie third-round pick Matt Corral.

Mayfield has been a borderline disaster this season, going 98-of-173 for 1,117 yards with six touchdowns, four interceptions and a 78.1 passer rating. Yet Panthers interim coach Steve Wilks didn't hesitate to reinsert Mayfield into the lineup last week when Walker struggled during a blowout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

With Corral (Lisfranc injury), the Panthers aren't getting a look at their rookie this season.

The Saints' two starters this season have been an injury-hampered Jameis Winston and journeyman Andy Dalton. Neither is a long-term answer for New Orleans. Collectively, Saints quarterbacks have completed 65 percent of their passes with 15 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 90 rating.

The Buccaneers, meanwhile, have plenty of uncertainty surrounding Tom Brady.

Brady hasn't been terrible this season, but he hasn't been great either (90.5 passer rating). He's 45 years old and scheduled to be a free agent in 2023. Even if Brady decides to play at 46, he may look for a team with better title chances than the Bucs, who lead the division with a 4-5 record.

"I don't think he's going to want to come back at age 46 seeing an organization or a roster that he doesn't think is going to meet his Super Bowl expectations," The Athletic's Jeff Howe said during an appearance on The Herd (beginning at the 2:26 mark).

Tampa does have 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask sitting behind Brady, but it could very well be in on a quarterback prospect too.

If the season ended today, Tampa Bay would pick outside of the top 18 only because it leads the division. The Falcons and Panthers would select fifth and 15th, respectively. If the Buccaneers cede the division, they could easily land a top-15 selection.

There's a reasonable chance that two NFC South teams take a top-three QB in the 2023 NFL draft.

In the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's early top 100, Stroud was ranked as the seventh overall prospect, while Young and Levis were ranked 10th and 11th, respectively. In the Scouting Department's latest mock draft, Stroud, Young and Levis went first, third and 15th overall.

Though Levis may be a mid-first-round pick, he has franchise quarterback potential, as Bleacher Report's Derrik Klassen noted:

"The Penn State transfer is coming out of college with plenty of experience under center and turning his back to the defense, something many of his peers cannot claim. The 6'3", 232-pound Levis has a big arm and a do-or-die mentality in the pocket, giving him the tools to be a Ryan Tannehill-esque machine on play-action."

Teams don't necessarily need to "earn" a top-five selection to find a quarterback of the future next year.

And if teams in the NFC South aren't sold on the 2023 quarterback class, there are some intriguing names slated to be available in free agency—including Brady, Geno Smith, Jimmy Garoppolo, Daniel Jones and Jacoby Brissett.

So, as the quarterback play in the division has been shaky at best and putrid at worst, fans can and should expect a new crop of starters next season. There's no guarantee they'll make NFC South football more exciting to watch, but it's not as if things can get a whole lot worse.

Either way, change will be coming to this division next year.

Fantasy football trade deadlines are rapidly approaching, and a trio of Atlanta Falcons should be talked about in that vein.

Tight end Kyle Pitts and wide receiver Drake London have underperformed, begging the question as to whether they are good buy-low candidates.

On the other hand, running back Cordarrelle Patterson returned to the lineup Sunday after missing a month with a knee injury.

The Falcons didn't hold him back against the Los Angeles Chargers, and he finished with 18.3 point-per-reception points after scoring a pair of touchdowns to go with 53 yards on 14 touches.

Should enterprising teams look to offload Patterson while his fantasy stock is high? Alternatively, is it worth it for fantasy players to try to add Patterson even if the price is high?

Here's a breakdown on all of the above.

The Falcons have been an anomaly this year.

On the surface, they appear to have two pass-catching stars in Pitts and London, who were selected fourth and eighth in the past two NFL drafts.

But neither player has been featured this year. Pitts has 23 catches on 46 targets for 285 yards and two touchdowns in eight games. London has 33 receptions on 56 targets for 369 yards and two scores in nine matchups.

Pitts has been feast or famine, too. He had five catches for 87 yards against the Seattle Seahawks and five receptions for 80 yards and a score versus the Carolina Panthers. Otherwise, he has just 13 catches for 118 yards and a touchdown. He has not amassed more than three catches or 27 yards in any of those contests.

London was good over the first three weeks (16 catches, 214 yards, two touchdowns). In the six games since, though, he has just 17 catches for 155 yards and zero touchdowns. He's averaged just 5.2 targets during that span.

Before the season, FantasyPros ranked Pitts as the 32nd player and the No. 3 tight end in PPR leagues. London was a borderline flex player at No. 94 overall and No. 39 among wideouts.

However, per FantasyData, Pitts is just 17th among tight ends in PPR leagues, making him a backup tight end at best. London is the No. 52 wide receiver, so he's at best a bench option, if he's not on the waiver wire.

The talent is unquestionably there for both players.

The 6'6", 246-pound Pitts, who amassed 43 catches for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Florida Gators in 2020, was amazing as a rookie with 68 catches for 1,026 yards and one touchdown.

London, the former USC star, snagged 88 receptions for 1,084 yards and seven scores in eight games for the Trojans last year before suffering a fractured right ankle.

The primary issue is that the Falcons run the ball 60.1 percent of the time, the second-highest mark in the NFL, per Fantasy Football Today. Their 22 pass attempts per game are the second-fewest in football.

For context, the Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers throw the ball twice as often, leading the league.

The Falcons start dual-threat quarterback Marcus Mariota, who has rushed 60 times for 304 yards and three touchdowns. They tailor the offense around his strengths, and that means a run-first offense that's featured Patterson, Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley.

When Mariota was with the Tennessee Titans, they found success with a similar offense featuring Derrick Henry and DeMarco Murray.

It would be hard to trust Pitts or London in any capacity moving forward for the sole reason that opportunities just haven't been there.

On the flip side, Patterson is a player to hang on to or try to trade for.

The jack of all trades had 1,166 total yards and 11 scores last year (153 rushes, 52 catches). He was the No. 1 runner and No. 3 receiver on the team.

The Falcons' 2021 MVP has done well this year too thanks to 421 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns in just five games. He's the No. 14 running back in fantasy points per game.

Given the Falcons' propensity to run the ball, Patterson should be heavily featured moving forward, making him a borderline RB1 in fantasy. Hold on to him for the stretch run if he's on your team. And if Patterson is available in your league, see if you can orchestrate a deal.