Mariota doing just enough to keep Falcons in first place

ATLANTA (AP) — Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota just wanted another chance to pull out a victory after he threw an interception on the first possession of overtime.

Three plays after C.J. Henderson returned the pick 54 yards, it still looked bleak for Atlanta as Carolina sent out kicker Eddy Piñeiro to try a winning 32-yard field goal. But Mariota and the Falcons got just the break they were looking for when Piñeiro missed wide left.

“Sometimes when you get into situations like that, guys kind of put their head down,” Mariota said. “Nobody did that on the sideline. For me, it’s really cool to be a part of that, and it says a lot about our guys.”

Mariota atoned for his second pick of the day, helping seal the win on third-and-1 with a 30-yard scramble that set up Younghoe Koo’s 41-yarder, and the Falcons escaped with a 37-34 victory.

It wasn’t a designed play. Mariota simply took off when he saw a wide swath of uncovered territory and made the most of it.

“That’s why we believe in Marcus,” Atlanta coach Arthur Smith said. “Not many guys can make that play, and the moment is never too big for him.”

Mariota’s first season with the Falcons has gone about as well as predicted. The 29-year-old former second overall pick for Tennessee in 2015 has managed the game the way Smith wants. Atlanta runs a mostly run-first offense and rarely takes many deep shots.

He has a passer rating of 92.7 and has 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. His first pick of the game, a deep ball intended for Damiere Byrd, had no consequence.

“I have to be better, got to be cleaner," Mariota said. “You know, again, like I said, our guys, they don’t blink. Good plays, bad plays, they stay pretty even-keeled, especially when these things happen. When bad things happen, our guys are ready to step up to make a play. Our guys did.”

At 4-4, the Falcons are alone in first place in the struggling NFC South, something few foresaw in the preseason when the Falcons looked to spend the year in rebuilding mode.

“You’re never out of it,” Smith said. “That was one of the craziest games I think I’ve ever been a part of. Happy to get the win any way we can, but I think I got a little grayer today.”