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NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Atlanta Falcons are set to bench veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota and start rookie Desmond Ridder.
The quarterback switch comes after the Falcons have lost four of five games while scoring more than 20 points just once in that stretch, including Sunday’s 19-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mariota had missed multiple open receivers during the loss to the Steelers, and Falcons coach Arthur Smith opened the possibility of moving from Mariota to Ridder, saying they would be evaluating every position during the bye week. This season, Mariota is 184-of-300 for 2,219 yards, 15 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.
The Falcons selected Ridder in the third round of this year’s draft after four years as a starter at Cincinnati. Ridder won 44 games at Cincinnati, the third most in college football history, and never lost at home. In college, Ridder was 810-of-1,304 for 10,239 yards, 87 touchdowns and 28 interceptions. He also ran the ball 501 times for 2,180 yards and 28 touchdowns.
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