There’s been some chatter about Desmond Ridder maybe challenging for the starting job in Atlanta, but I don’t know that it really matters. I don’t think there’s any chance of Marcus Mariota playing the full season.
If Mariota doesn’t play well enough, he’ll be pulled at some point. If we accept that as a truth, it becomes truth to draw up a scenario where Mariota can put up enough yards, points and wins to string together 17 consecutive games. Arthur Smith, recall, was a member of the coaching staff that benched Mariota a few years ago.
And Mariota also looks like a candidate for an injury. Atlanta doesn’t have much of an offensive line, and he’s got a history of locking up when pressured.
In the last four years, 49 quarterbacks have attempted at least 500 passes. Of that group, Mariota has been sacked the most frequently – on over 11 percent of his pass plays.
Ridder played a lot of ball at Cincinnati, and he’s advised to hit the playbook and keep his arm loose. He’ll definitely be starting some games.
| SACK RATES (last 4 years) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Player | Att | Sack | Pct |
| 1. | Andrew Luck | 639 | 18 | 2.7% |
| 2. | Drew Brees | 1,257 | 42 | 3.2% |
| 3. | Tom Brady | 2,512 | 91 | 3.5% |
| 4. | Ben Roethlisberger | 1,950 | 77 | 3.8% |
| 5. | Patrick Mahomes | 2,310 | 93 | 3.9% |
| 6. | Drew Lock | 710 | 33 | 4.4% |
| 7. | Justin Herbert | 1,267 | 63 | 4.7% |
| 8. | Jared Goff | 2,233 | 113 | 4.8% |
| 9. | Philip Rivers | 1,642 | 85 | 4.9% |
| 10. | Trevor Lawrence | 602 | 32 | 5.0% |
| 11. | Mac Jones | 521 | 28 | 5.1% |
| 12. | Nick Mullens | 630 | 36 | 5.4% |
| 13. | Tua Tagovailoa | 678 | 40 | 5.6% |
| 14. | Case Keenum | 915 | 54 | 5.6% |
| 15. | Josh Allen | 1,999 | 118 | 5.6% |
| 16. | Nick Foles | 659 | 39 | 5.6% |
| 17. | Aaron Rodgers | 2,223 | 135 | 5.7% |
| 18. | Dak Prescott | 1,940 | 119 | 5.8% |
| 19. | Joe Flacco | 817 | 51 | 5.9% |
| 20. | Kirk Cousins | 2,127 | 135 | 6.0% |
| 21. | Mitchell Trubisky | 1,255 | 80 | 6.0% |
| 22. | Matthew Stafford | 1,975 | 126 | 6.0% |
| 23. | Derek Carr | 2,209 | 146 | 6.2% |
| 24. | Teddy Bridgewater | 1,137 | 76 | 6.3% |
| 25. | Kyler Murray | 1,581 | 106 | 6.3% |
| 26. | Jalen Hurts | 580 | 39 | 6.3% |
| 27. | Ryan Fitzpatrick | 1,021 | 69 | 6.3% |
| 28. | Andy Dalton | 1,462 | 100 | 6.4% |
| 29. | Baker Mayfield | 1,924 | 134 | 6.5% |
| 30. | Jacoby Brissett | 684 | 48 | 6.6% |
| 31. | Matt Ryan | 2,410 | 171 | 6.6% |
| 32. | Eli Manning | 723 | 52 | 6.7% |
| 33. | Taylor Heinicke | 570 | 41 | 6.7% |
| 34. | Cam Newton | 1,054 | 76 | 6.7% |
| 35. | Jameis Winston | 1,176 | 87 | 6.9% |
| 36. | Gardner Minshew | 857 | 65 | 7.0% |
| 37. | Alex Smith | 580 | 44 | 7.1% |
| 38. | Carson Wentz | 1,961 | 150 | 7.1% |
| 39. | Jimmy Garoppolo | 1,146 | 89 | 7.2% |
| 40. | Lamar Jackson | 1,329 | 106 | 7.4% |
| 41. | Sam Darnold | 1,625 | 133 | 7.6% |
| 42. | Daniel Jones | 1,268 | 105 | 7.6% |
| 43. | Ryan Tannehill | 1,572 | 137 | 8.0% |
| 44. | Kyle Allen | 626 | 55 | 8.1% |
| 45. | Joe Burrow | 924 | 83 | 8.2% |
| 46. | Russell Wilson | 1,901 | 179 | 8.6% |
| 47. | Deshaun Watson | 1,544 | 155 | 9.1% |
| 48. | Josh Rosen | 513 | 61 | 10.6% |
| 49. | Marcus Mariota | 521 | 67 | 11.4% |
—Ian Allan