Marcus Mariota, the starting quarterback for the first time in 2019, performed mediocrely.
The Saints defeated the Falcons 27-26 in their season-opening matchup after mounting a spirited comeback in the fourth quarter. Wil Lutz's 51-yard field goal with 19 seconds remaining gave the Saints the victory. Mariota completed 20 33 passes for 215 yards while rushing 12 times for 72 yards and a score. Late in the third quarter, however, on a drive where Atlanta had a chance to score a touchdown and go up 30-10, he lost a crucial fumble inside the 10-yard line.
However, according to head coach Arthur Smith, Mariota's performance on Wednesday appeared to have some positive aspects.
There were a lot of positives, Smith remarked in his press conference, "I guess as you look at it, you try to move on. "You don't want to sit there and make excuses, which is why I'm careful not to sound like I'm patting myself on the back because we don't know what the outcome was, but there were. He made wise selections for us, and we were pretty effective at moving the football. So, that was encouraging to see.
"Give or take a few years, I believe he started one game, but he was tuned in and prepared to play. We ask a lot of him at the line of scrimmage, and he made tremendous throws when we needed them. He's also made some plays with his legs.
This week, as they travel to face the Rams and defensive end Aaron Donald, Mariota and the Atlanta offense will face another difficult test. Mariota will get another chance to show off his upbeat attitude in his second start.
Login To Leave a Comment