4 Atlanta Falcons in danger of being benched this season
By Nick Halden
![Dec 5, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts (8) runs against Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Ross Cockrell (43) during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Dec 5, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts (8) runs against Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Ross Cockrell (43) during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fbloggingdirty-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fimagn-images-2F2017-2F07-2F17298776-850x560-a2ff13d41755b19a2e255c71fae88ca4614ef510192fcbba657c1b5e177c7db7.jpg)
4. Marcus Mariota
The Titans benched Marcus Mariota in favor of Ryan Tannehill and still haven’t looked back. Mariota moved on after a year spending two seasons with the Raiders backing up Derek Carr before getting his chance at redemption with Atlanta. With a rookie quarterback on the bench behind him and playing in front of a porous offensive line Mariota is going to be under a fair amount of pressure from week one.
Not only is he attempting to hold off a rookie quarterback he will be attempting to replace a franchise icon in Matt Ryan. A tall order for a quarterback hasn’t accomplished a lot as a starter in this league.
There is a chance he has improved and will prove himself to be a starter in this league. There is also the chance that he has regressed sitting on the bench and will be a worse version of the player he was with the Titans. No question Mariota is going to have to play for not only his job this season but play for a contributing role in the league proving he still has something left for a team who hasn’t given him all that much to work with this season.
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