3 NFL quarterbacks who need to be benched after Week 4

Marcus Mariota

The Falcons beat the Browns on Sunday, so their day went well all things considered. However, the victory also exposed one of the things that will make it hard for Atlanta to win many games going forward: Marcus Mariota takes too many risks.

He may have been the winning quarterback against Cleveland but that title is coincidental. If anyone deserves credit for the victory it’s the offensive line and running backs for dragging the offense to 13 fourth-quarter points. That’s because Arthur Smith essentially benched Mariota without benching him, running the ball over and over and keeping the ball out of his QBs hands.

Mariota completed seven passes! Just seven out of 19! That’s a 36 percent completion rating. He also threw an interception.

If the quarterback in Atlanta is going to be required to just hand the ball off and make a throw here and there, why not see if Desmond Ridder is cut out for the job? The Falcons are going to have to find out if their third-round draft pick is worth investing in sooner or later. They might as well do it now.