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Falcons’ Smith remains committed to Mariota as starting quarterback

Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota is sacked by Panthers defensive end Marquis Haynes Sr. during the second half Thursday. AP photo

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) -- Arthur Smith quickly put an end to speculation that extra time between games for the Atlanta Falcons would provide an opportunity for the coach to make a change at quarterback. Marcus Mariota will keep his starting job following back-to-back losses. Asked Monday about the quarterback situation, Smith said "There's no situation. There was never a situation, ever." "You understand why the questions get asked," Smith said. "You lose two games in five days and everybody wants to panic. We're right in the middle of it. We're not where we want to be, but the reality is we're right in the middle of a playoff race with a conference opponent coming in here and a game we need to win." Mariota completed 19 of 30 passes for 186 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in Thursday night's 25-15 loss at Carolina. Mariota led the team with 43 rushing yards. The Thursday night game provided extra time off for the Falcons (4-6) before Sunday's home game against Chicago. That time was not devoted to a move at quarterback. Rookie Desmond Ridder is still waiting to take his first snap as the Falcons prepare to face the Bears. "If we were going to make a change, I'd tell you," Smith said. Smith said "everything is up for grabs every week. If we felt that one move would certainly be the difference in us winning and losing, we'd make it. We're not at that point at a lot of spots." For the season, Mariota has completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 1,747 yards with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His dual-threat skills were seen as a good fit for Smith's run-first offense when Atlanta was 4-4 and tied for the NFC South lead. [gallery ids="1043938"]

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