3 reasons the Cleveland Browns shouldn’t overlook the Atlanta Falcons

No. 1: Marcus Mariota

After losing his starting job to Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee, the former 2015 No.2 overall pick, Marcus Mariota, has finally found another starting job in the NFL. The Falcons had to settle for Mariota after they thought they had a Watson trade in the bag, but it’s worked out quite well for them.

Mariota has a completion percentage over 63 percent, has 640 yards passing, and is still a dual threat in the backfield. He always looks to throw first, but if you throw some pressure at him and he can certainly make you pay with his legs. After watching the Cleveland Browns struggle so much with athletic quarterbacks, Mariota certainly makes me anxious.

Mariota has turned the ball over three times, so if the Cleveland secondary can make a few plays early, that would go a long way to stopping his confidence from growing even more. But with all the coverage busts I’ve seen this year; Mariota could absolutely torch this defense with weapons like London and Pitts.

Mariota has not only played well in his second opportunity as a starter, but he has also been the leader that this team needs. After losing veteran Matt Ryan and having a ton of young starters, this locker room needed a guy like Mariota to be the glue. The Browns certainly can win this game and should, but the Falcons will certainly be ready to put up a fight.