The Atlanta Falcons (5-8) have the week off before taking on the New Orleans Saints (4-8) in Week 15. The date and time of this upcoming NFC South rematch has finally been determined by the NFL, and it won’t be in prime time.
On Monday, the league officially flexed three Week 15 games. As reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Colts-Vikings, Ravens-Browns, and Dolphins-Bills matchups will be played on Saturday, December 17.
Flex!
Saturday, December 17 on NFL Network:
⁰1:00 PM ET – Indianapolis Colts vs. Minnesota Vikings
4:30 PM ET – Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns
8:15 PM ET – Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 5, 2022
Atlanta will instead play New Orleans on Sunday, December 18 at 1:00 p.m. ET on FOX. It’s not surprising to see the NFL go in a different direction since both teams are multiple games under .500.
As for the Falcons’ brewing quarterback controversy, head coach Arthur Smith said a decision would be determined next week. He explained that QB Marcus Mariota‘s Monday absence from the facility was due to his wife going into labor, per ESPN’s Michael Rothstein.
Arthur Smith: "We're still working through that" in terms of the quarterback situation.
Said they'll have a decision next week.
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) December 5, 2022
Falcons HC Arthur Smith said Marcus Mariota isn't in the building today because his wife went into labor this morning.
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) December 5, 2022
We’ll see if the Falcons look to rookie Desmond Ridder to take over for Mariota against the Saints, which would be an ideal time to make the switch since the team has an extra week to prepare.
Ridder, a third-round pick out of Cincinnati, was the second quarterback selected in the 2022 NFL draft behind Kenny Pickett.
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