Arthur Smith on potential QB change: ‘Everything is on the table’

The Atlanta Falcons lost their second game in a row on Sunday and are rapidly falling out of the NFC playoff race. Per usual, the Falcons possessed the ball late in the fourth quarter with a chance to go win the game.

However, they were unable to capitalize on the opportunity and will now go into the bye week with major questions to answer, particularly at the quarterback position.

Marcus Mariota has had an up-and-down tenure as the team’s starting signal-caller, but his lack of consistency throwing the ball down the field has hurt the team on multiple occasions.

On Sunday, his interception with under a minute left killed any chance of a Falcons comeback. When asked after the game if the team would consider making a change at QB, head coach Arthur Smith indicated that it was on the table.

“Everything is on the table,” said Smith, who’s been reluctant to make a change while the team was in playoff position. The Falcons are still not out of the postseason race and they’re still alive in the NFC South, even at 5-8.

At this point, though, there’s very little upside to keeping Mariota out there. Atlanta selected Desmond Ridder in the third round, which most analysts considered to be a steal at that point in the draft.

Ridder, a star at Cincinnati, threw a game-winning touchdown in the Falcons’ first preseason game against the Lions.

With several quarterbacks in the 2023 draft class, it would be wise to see what Ridder can do in an actual game before the end of the season.

We’ll see if Smith is ready to make that call when the Falcons take the field again in Week 15 against the Saints. Watch Smith’s full post-game presser below.

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Story originally appeared on Falcons Wire