The much awaited debut of second overall pick Marcus Mariota finally took place, as his Tennessee Titans took on the Atlanta Falcons in their preseason opener.
Mariota, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner from a year ago, was one of the most decorated college football players to ever lace up the cleats while playing for the high-powered Oregon spread attack.
As with almost every quarterback coming out of those kinds of systems that run exclusively in the shotgun, while running basic reads, Mariota brings a good deal of questions as to whether his game will translate to the next level. Already being named the starter for the Titans, Mariota performed to mixed results against the Falcons.
Turnovers Aside, Marcus Mariota Has Strong Debut
While he only threw one incompletion, the one he didn’t was an interception. He was also stripped of the football while dropping back and the ball was recovered by the Falcons and returned for a touchdown.
On second down, a play after Mariota was sacked, the Titans attempted a screen pass that was perfectly read by Falcons’ linebacker Justin Durant, who jumped in front of running back Bishop Sankey to intercept the pass. Pressured, Mariota didn’t see Durant, as the linebacker made a perfect play on the ball.
The very next offensive play for the Titans, Mariota was stripped and Atlanta ran the fumble back for a touchdown.
Settling in for his final drive, Mariota completed all five of his passes for 78 yards, leading the Titans down the field for a touchdown. Finding instant chemistry with newly acquired receiver Harry Douglas, Mariota completed two separate passes of 17 yards to the former Falcon and had three overall to him for 46 yards.
A rookie’s best friend, especially in tight situations, can be the team’s tight end. Mariota completed two passes to Anthony Fasano, one on third down. The young quarterback stepped up in the pocket and nearly made the decision to take off and use his legs, holding off at the last second to hit Fasano who was set up down the field just past the first down marker.
Onlookers at Titans camp have raved about Mariota’s accuracy, which he put on display in some of his throws, hitting his targets – sometimes in a crowded area.
While the turnovers aren’t something that you want to see out of your quarterback, his ability to put behind him the giving up of those two turnovers while leading his team to a scoring drive before exiting the game is exactly what you wanted to see.
In the end, Mariota completed 7-of-8 passes for 94 yards with an interception, a sack, and a fumble lost. Him and the Titans will continue their preseason next Sunday against the St. Louis Rams.
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