How Marcus Mariota has helped the Falcons become a playoff contender

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- When Marcus Mariota was trying to fig retired his contiguous aboriginal arsenic an NFL backmost successful March, helium was intrigued by the Atlanta Falcons.

They offered a familiarity with the staff, going backmost to Mariota's days with manager Arthur Smith with the Tennessee Titans. They offered a reasonably bully declaration -- 2 years, $18.75 cardinal with $6.75 cardinal guaranteed. Perhaps much important than thing else: The Falcons offered a accidental to start.

Mariota has had a weaving way arsenic a quarterback, from the Heisman Trophy astatine Oregon to being the No. 2 prime successful the 2015 draught by the Titans.

He started for four-plus seasons successful Tennessee earlier being benched and past going to the Raiders arsenic a backup for 2 seasons. When helium reached escaped bureau a 2nd time, Mariota knew opportunities to commencement successful the league are rare.

That is what Mariota walked into erstwhile helium signed with the Falcons successful March, a squad that present has astir $80 cardinal successful dormant headdress wealth -- wealth paid to players nary longer connected the squad -- and astatine the infinitesimal astir $8.6 cardinal successful headdress space.

Yet the Falcons are tied for archetypal spot successful the NFC South astatine 4-5, successful portion due to the fact that of the play of Mariota and however helium fits into the discourtesy and locker room. This is the contiguous for Atlanta, arsenic it prepares to play part rival Carolina connected Thursday nighttime (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video). The aboriginal for Mariota beyond this season, that's unknown.

"When I was going into escaped agency, I benignant of understood that if I got a accidental to play again, it was truly going to beryllium astir apt my past shot," Mariota said. "Most guys don't adjacent truly get a 2nd shot."

That Mariota was capable to effort this successful a strategy helium knew, with coaches helium was acquainted with, held importance.

It was a caller metropolis and caller unit and a franchise that, virtually hours earlier Mariota signed with the Falcons, traded its longtime starter, Matt Ryan, to Indianapolis aft a failed pursuit of Deshaun Watson.

To Mariota, nary of that mattered. He conscionable knew this was different shot. For him to person a existent aboriginal arsenic an NFL starter -- with the Falcons oregon elsewhere -- helium was going to person to play well.

"To beryllium capable to not lone support this occupation and possibly person a aboriginal present was important to me, and I americium gladsome it is present with these guys, with Coach Smith and this staff," Mariota said. "Because similar I said from before, it was astir a constituent of, conscionable like, redeeming myself from a erstwhile stint that I wanted to travel present and beryllium that I tin bash it."

Whether Mariota has done capable is an unfastened question. He has had games wherever helium has looked similar the subordinate from Oregon, making on-time throws and utilizing his moving quality to confound defenses.

For each crippled similar the ones against San Francisco, successful which helium completed 92.9% of his passes, and Carolina, successful which helium completed 71.4%, determination person been games successful which the aforesaid contented from Tennessee popped up: inaccuracy. He has had 3 games with a completion percent nether 60% and 2 nether 55%.

He's not being asked to propulsion often successful a run-heavy offense, attempting less than 25 passes successful 4 games this season. Interestingly, the Falcons are 3-1 successful those games.

Mariota has been inconsistent, completing 65% oregon much of his passes successful back-to-back weeks conscionable erstwhile this season. Not each of that is his fault. Numbers tin beryllium skewed. For example, a throwaway successful Atlanta's discourtesy volition change Mariota's statistic much than different quarterbacks due to the fact that his 201 walk attempts are 2nd lowest among full-time starters -- the Falcons are averaging 33.7 rushes and 22.3 walk attempts per game. Atlanta's 53.1% complaint of designed rushes is the highest successful the NFL, and its 46.9% complaint of designed passes (including sacks and scrambles) is the lowest successful the league, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The lone full-time starters this play with little completion percentages than Mariota are Chicago's Justin Fields, Denver's Russell Wilson and the Jets' Zach Wilson.

Completion percentage, though, doesn't needfully archer the full story. Mariota is ninth successful QBR astatine 59.9, up of Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow. He's being asked to instrumentality deeper shots, too. His 10.09 aerial yards per effort are 2nd successful the league -- down lone Jameis Winston.

When Mariota is throwing, it's usually deep, which, by logic, would mean a little completion percent considering 14.9% of his walk attempts person had 20 oregon much aerial yards, sixth successful the league (and 4th among full-time starters down Mac Jones, Fields and Wilson). Mariota has completed 23.3% of his throws of 20 oregon much aerial yards, No. 32 successful the league, but helium besides has attempted 30 of those passes, tied for ninth successful the NFL with Herbert.

"Those things are not the highest percentage, right? You're taking debased percent shots, but you person to beryllium capable to bash that," Mariota said. "Especially with the mode we tally the shot due to the fact that it creates conscionable a small spot of uncertainty connected the defence of what you're trying to do."

In his career, Mariota has completed 33.2% of his throws of 20 oregon much aerial gait and during his clip arsenic a starter successful Tennessee completed much than 43% of those passes successful 2016 and 2018. So determination is grounds helium tin improve, and it's an country successful which Smith has said Atlanta needs to get better.

When the Falcons signed Mariota, they knew the benignant of backmost they were getting, and that the discourtesy would beryllium antithetic than it was nether Ryan.

"When it comes to looking astatine the backmost spot, I don't deliberation it's 1 size fits all," violative coordinator Dave Ragone said. "And Marcus provided an accidental for america offensively to spell successful antithetic directions and grow connected antithetic things that we thought champion acceptable us."

Mariota has an quality fewer different quarterbacks possess. His movements tin sometimes look much similar a boxer delivering a feint oregon a constituent defender utilizing a jab-step oregon shoulder-shimmy fake. It does capable to get a defender disconnected equilibrium for a 2nd and creates 1 of 2 things -- a crease for Mariota to tally done oregon a passing model wherever determination wasn't one.

He has done some often this year, including Sunday against the Chargers. At the Los Angeles 46-yard enactment successful the mediate of the 3rd quarter, linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. didn't wound connected Mariota's play-action, meaning arsenic Mariota rolled right, Murray was successful the passing lane.

Mariota faked an upfield move. Murray chopped inside, giving Mariota country to interval a walk to Kyle Pitts for a 9-yard completion and a archetypal down.

"Certainly he's got that instinct, and it's however he's been palmy successful this league and surely coming retired of Oregon," Smith said. "He's got a large consciousness successful space."

His quality to maneuver defenders -- to the constituent wherever it has go astir wholly instinctual -- came from a puerility playing soccer. Even now, he'll spell backmost and ticker a play and beryllium like, "I did that?" erstwhile helium sees himself moving a defender disconnected presumption or, successful his champion illustration from 2022, erstwhile helium fell down against the Rams and popped backmost up.

"Sometimes," Mariota said, "I truly can't explicate it."

It is that feel, which successful Smith's discourtesy has designed runs, portion reads and pre-snap movement, that has fueled Atlanta's success. The Falcons person had pre-snap question connected 329 plays, 5th successful the league, and helming that discourtesy is simply a accomplishment that takes time. Add successful the Falcons' 117 play-action plays (second successful the league comprising 48.3% of Atlanta's dropbacks) and it's a batch for galore quarterbacks.

But his quality to tally and widen plays marque him dangerous. Against Carolina successful Week 8, his determination to support and tally successful overtime led to a 30-yard summation connected the eventual winning drive.

Atlanta is utilizing Mariota arsenic a runner much than immoderate different clip successful his career. With 60 carries and 304 yards, helium is 4 carries and 53 yards distant from his career-highs -- some acceptable successful 2018 -- and a cardinal portion of the Falcons' top-five rushing offense.

Cordarrelle Patterson, the Falcons moving back, said watching Mariota tally gets him "fired up," due to the fact that of however helium runs. He says they person thing successful common: They are OK with being hit.

"I conscionable respect him a batch of ways," Patterson said.

When Mariota archetypal got to the NFL, helium was determined to beryllium a pouch passer. His father, Toa, and his brother, Matt, who is present playing backmost successful a league successful England, kept reminding him it was OK to run. To usage what worked truthful good astatine Oregon successful the pros, too. Playing that mode now, Mariota said, is playing "a small much similar myself."

"To beryllium capable to person a mobile backmost similar that, successful this benignant of discourtesy erstwhile we tally the shot a lot, defenses person to think, 'Is helium going to instrumentality off? Is the backmost going to instrumentality off?'" receiver Drake London said. "'Or is helium going to beryllium backmost determination and propulsion it to 1 of us?' So it gives america a batch of antithetic ways to get the shot and disperse it."

Mariota besides has gotten much settled into a starter's role. Early this season, helium said helium was adjusting to his caller aged role, some moving and passing. For example, successful the past 3 weeks, helium has slid a batch much to assistance debar getting deed erstwhile aboriginal successful the play helium did not.

He besides has been much cautious with the ball. After fumbling 7 times successful the archetypal 5 weeks -- losing 3 -- Mariota has fumbled erstwhile implicit the past 4 games. Of his six interceptions, 4 came successful the archetypal period of the season, and helium has thrown 2 -- some against Carolina successful Week 8 connected heavy walk attempts -- implicit the past 5 games.

It's an discourtesy that took Mariota a small portion to get utilized to, but 1 helium believes fits his skills.

"We bash a large occupation of hiding immoderate of the tally worldly that I do, but besides allowing maine to benignant of play escaped successful the walk game, doing immoderate antithetic things, whether it's play-action stuff, whether it's keepers, whether it's dropback," Mariota said. "So it's not needfully 1 circumstantial thing. I deliberation due to the fact that we bash a full scope of antithetic things, it allows maine to conscionable benignant of explicit my talents and bash what I do."

There's different portion of this uncalculated by statistics. The calming beingness Mariota provides is immeasurable, particularly for a young team. When moving backmost Caleb Huntley enters a game, Mariota settles his nerves.

The easygoing benignant endeared Mariota to his teammates. He mightiness get fired up aft a play. By the clip helium returns to the huddle, it's the aforesaid collected subordinate his teammates saw the play before.

"With Marcus you're going to get the truth," Smith said. "That's wherefore radical similar him."

Mariota's demeanor permeated the locker country astir instantly and hasn't abated since.

"The mode helium conducts himself connected the tract is precise easygoing, reassuring but besides precise assertive astatine the aforesaid point," violative lineman Chris Lindstrom said. "He's unthinkable to play for and play with. You conscionable person a emotion for him due to the fact that you emotion the idiosyncratic and the subordinate helium is, you person an appreciation for the mode helium goes astir attacking work."

It mightiness not look similar a lot, but small things similar that bash matter. Coaches and teammates bargain into Mariota and what helium has been capable to bash -- connected the field, during the week and betwixt plays.

"We person each the religion successful you," London said. "We person each the spot successful you, and we're gonna thrust for you nary substance what."

What this looks similar agelong word is unclear. There's a half-season to go, and the lone happening perchance guaranteed for adjacent play -- but not present -- is simply a $3 cardinal roster bonus if he's connected the squad the 5th time of the adjacent league year. Mariota knows this. He has lived it -- from starter to backup, from a backmost who took a squad to the playoffs to losing his occupation midseason.

So however is Mariota playing this year? The main justice volition beryllium Smith, who pointed to 1 thing: wherever the Falcons are successful the NFC South standings.

"To beryllium close wherever we are," Smith said, "in the mediate of the race."