Falcons HC Arthur Smith Praises QB Marcus Mariota

Locked in as the Atlanta Falcons Week 1 starter at quarterback, Marcus Mariota was impressive in Monday’s preseason contest against the New York Jets, completing six of ten passes for 132 yards and a touchdown.

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith praised Mariota postgame, saying, “I’m pleased with Marcus. He got into a good rhythm. The only drive I thought wasn’t very good was where we tried to simulate a two-minute situation, we got backed up and it wasn’t really clean there, but other than that, I thought he was really clean when he was in there. I think he got into the offense, got into rhythm, made a big-time throw.”

Signed by Atlanta to a two-year, $18.75 million deal in the offseason, the former second overall pick is widely viewed as a bridge to 2022 third-rounder Desmond Ridder, who was also sharp Monday. 

Nevertheless, for as long as Mariota holds down the starting job, he could be a decent streaming option in fantasy leagues, mainly due to his rushing ability.

FanDuel Sportsbook currently has the Falcons at +790 odds to make the playoffs.