Desmond Ridder helped the Cincinnati Bearcats become the first Group of Five team to make the College Football Playoff.

Perhaps he could have helped lead the Atlanta Falcons to a victory over the Carolina Panthers on Thursday.

Instead, Marcus Mariota and the Falcons lost 25-15 and missed a golden opportunity to jump into first place in the NFC South with a win over a struggling Panthers team. They fell to 4-6 on the season and looked completely lost on offense for much of the game.

Mariota in particular struggled until a late touchdown pass to KhaDarel Hodge. He threw across his body at times, forcing passes into tight coverage and looking generally uncomfortable in the pocket.

Some on Twitter were calling for Ridder to get a chance:

The rainy conditions were not conducive to passing the ball, and Atlanta's offense was anything but effective out of the gates. Its five first-half possessions ended with three punts, a terrible interception to Jaycee Horn and a field goal, but even the three points were something of a disappointment since the Falcons ran out of time in the red zone at the end of the half.

Things seemed to be getting better in the second half when Mariota finally found the end zone with a short touchdown pass to Drake London, but even that came after he sailed a throw to a wide-open Kyle Pitts earlier in the possession.

His poor throws continued with multiple dropped interceptions and one play in particular that stood out. He just threw the ball up for grabs as he was falling, and the Panthers picked it and ran it back for a touchdown only for the play to be ruled a sack because Mariota was down right before he unleashed the ball.

Atlanta will need Mariota to be much better next time out against the Chicago Bears, otherwise it might be time to make a change.