FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Atlanta Falcons have made a change at quarterback, turning to rookie Desmond Ridder in favor of veteran Marcus Mariota, a source told ESPN's Michael Rothstein on Thursday.
The quarterback switch comes after the Falcons have lost four of five games while scoring more than 20 points just once in that stretch.
After Sunday's 19-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Falcons coach Arthur Smith opened the possibility of moving from Mariota to Ridder, saying they would be evaluating every position during the bye week.
Mariota had missed multiple open receivers during the loss to the Steelers, continuing a seasonlong issue.