Falcons' Smith remains committed to Mariota as starting QB November 14 FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) Arthur Smith quickly put an end to speculation that extra time between games for the Atlanta Falcons would provide an opportunity for the coach to make a change at quarterback.Marcus Mariota will keep his starting job following back-to-back lo ses.Asked Monday about the quarterback situation, Smith said There's no Daniel Gafford Jersey situation. There was never a situation, ever.You understand why the questions get asked, Smith said. You lose two games in five days and everybody wants to panic. We're right in the middle of it. We're not where we want to be, but the reality is we're right in the middle of a playoff race with a conference opponent coming in here and a game we need to win.Mariota completed 19 of 30 pa ses for 186 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in Thursday night's at Carolina. Mariota led the team with 43 rushing yards.The Thursday night game provided extra time off for the Falcons (4-6) before Sunday's home game against Chicago. That time was not devoted to a move Michael Jordan Jersey at quarterback. Rookie Desmond Ridder is still waiting to take his first snap as the Falcons prepare to face the Bears.If we were going to make a change, Id tell you, Smith said.Smith said everything is up for grabs every week. If we felt that one move would certainly be the difference in us winning and losing, we'd make it. We're not at that point at a lot of spots.For the season, Mariota has completed 61.9% of his pa ses for 1,747 yards with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His dual-threat skills were seen as a good fit for Smith's run-first offense when Atlanta was 4-4 and tied for the NFC South lead.Back-to-back lo ses to the Los Angeles Chargers and Carolina have led to more questions about Smith's plan at quarterback, even though the Falcons clearly have other problems.Mariota accepted blame for playing a little bit outside of myself in the lo s at Carolina.I was just trying to create a spark, Mariota said Thursday night. "I think looking throughout my career, thats when I get myself in most trouble. Ill-advised throws. Force things on the field. Instead of just maybe scrambling, getting a few yards and keeping the chains moving.The Falcons are still only one game behind first-place Tampa Bay in the , making it Wendell Carter Jersey more difficult for Smith to consider turning the offense over to Ridder, this year's third-round draft pick from Cincinnati. Through Sunday's games, the Falcons rank fourth in the league with 160.4 rushing yards per game, but rank ahead of only Tenne see and Chicago in pa sing, averaging 156.8 per game.There is no a surance a switch to Ridder would add more balance to the offense. Smith's commitment to a balanced running game led by Cordarrelle Patterson and rookie Tyler Allgeier has helped keep the Falcons competitive.Four of the Falcons' first five lo ses were one-score games, and they were within seven points against the Panthers before a change of po se sions on downs set up Carolina's last-second field goal for the 10-point win.The Falcons , including on both lines. The offensive line gave up five sacks to the Panthers and the defense allowed 232 yards on the ground. Now the Falcons defense must prepare for Chicago's league-leading running game."Chicago is going to come in here and try to run it 500 times and so weve got a lot of work ahead of us, Smith said.Smith said cornerback A.J. Terrell, who has mi sed three games with a hamstring injury, may return this week. ___AP NFL: hub/nfl and AP_NFL in this topic Atlanta Falcons National Football League A.J Justin Holiday Jersey . Terrell Cordarrelle Patterson Marcus Mariota Carolina Panthers Atlanta Falcons Spain or Morocco? World Cup pa sions blur in Spanish exclave The World Cup knockout game between Spain and Morocco will bring millions of fans on both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar together around screens in bars and living rooms to see w... 37 MINS AGO ASSOCIATED PRESS Believe the hype, Bellingham is lighting up the World Cup Jordan Henderson knew exactly who to thank after opening the scoring in Englands 3-0 win against Senegal 1 HOUR AGO ASSOCIATED PRESS Mbapp is bringing soccer to a new dimension at World Cup Cristiano Ronaldos precision 1 HOUR AGO ASSOCIATED PRESS Poland finds its true level at World Cup, beaten by the best Poland heads home from the World Cup as the latest team unable to resist an inspired Scottie Pippen Jersey Kylian Mbapp 1 HOUR AGO ASSOCIATED PRESS World Cup fans find booze at hotels, Qatar's 1 liquor store Qatar's strict rules regarding alcohol have drawn attention as it hosts the World Cup 3 HOURS AGO ASSOCIATED PRESS