Atlanta Falcons: Marcus Mariota completing 5% of throws 30+ yards

You probably know by now that the Atlanta Falcons’ passing game is quite abysmal and their deep passing game is significantly worse, but you probably didn’t realize just how bad it has been as Marcus Mariota has been historically inaccurate when throwing passes deep down the field.

Just think back through the season and try to remember how many passes the Falcons have completed when the ball travels at least 30 yards in the air. If you can only remember one then you are on the right track.

Atlanta Falcons QB Marcus Mariota has been beyond awful on deep throws

You could probably only remember one play from the Atlanta Falcons where the ball traveled at least 30 yards and was completed. That play came in week seven against the Cincinnati Bengals when Marcus Mariota hit Damiere Byrd for a 75-yard touchdown right before halftime.

That is it, that is the one play that Mariota has completed when throwing the ball that far down the field. And the lack of completions isn’t due to a lack of opportunities, he has had plenty of them.

According to Next Gen Stats, through 13 games, Mariota has attempted 20 throws of 30 yards or more and completed one of them. Yes, he is 1/20, and if you cannot do the math, he is completing 5% of those passes.

I don’t have actual proof that this is historically bad, but I can take an educated guess and say that that is historically bad. And people wonder why Drake London and Kyle Pitts, prior to his injury, struggled to put up big numbers.

All of this comes a year after Matt Ryan was ranked as the second-best deep passer in the entire NFL. That is as big of a drop-off as a team can have. And it is also another reason that Desmond Ridder should be on the field.