O.C., California- Staffeln » Welcome to “Keeping Up

With Marcus Mariota Ben Jones Jersey ,” where I take a look at Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota’s weekly tape and determine what I saw.Yeah, yeah, I know I predicted the Titans to lose to the Jaguars on Sunday and that didn’t happen. I’m pretty good at willing Tennessee to victories when I pick against them, though, so you’re welcome.What I didn’t expect was Marcus Mariota filling in for a concussed Blaine Gabbert. Mariota, sitting due to a nerve injury in his elbow, suddenly came in and had to quarterback the Titans offense to victory. Mariota’s pedestrian numbers (12 of 18 for 100 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions while putting 51 yards on the ground) suggest he didn’t contribute all that much to the Titans’ 9-6 victory on the road. But truth be told, this is one of those performances where Mariota’s raw stats don’t do him justice, as he was a big reason why Tennessee was able to move to 2-1.For starters, Mariota’s first three passes (His actual third pass, a throwaway in the area of Jonnu Smith, doesn’t count) all came on third downs, and all three of them were dropped.gamepass.nfl.comThis is an accurate third down throw to Rishard Matthews Cheap Delanie Walker Jersey , who has this ball stripped from him before he can get two feet down. So while Matthews is able to avoid a fumble, he provides his quarterback with a costly drop.gamepass.nfl.comTajae Sharpe drops Mariota’s second pass, also on third down. This one is inexcusable, considering Sharpe is uncontested and should have an easy first down falling to the ground. The Titans are forced punt as a result.gamepass.nfl.comIt can be argued that Mariota’s third pass, again on third down, was not an accurate throw, but this is still a play Corey Davis needs to make, as the ball is placed in a spot where only he can get it.Eventually, Mariota decided to just do everything himself, and managed to convert some key third downs later in the game, such as this run on 3rd and 2. gamepass.nfl.comEventually, Mariota’s receivers managed to haul in some throws in the second half.gamepass.nfl.comThis is a vintage pocket play from Mariota. He recognizes the blind side pressure, moves up the pocket while keeping his eyes up, resets himself and beats the stunt with a crucial pass to Corey Davis to convert the first down. At the time of this play the game was tied a 6-6 Wesley Woodyard Jersey , and the drive eventually ended with a Ryan Succop field goal that ultimately decided the game for Tennessee.gamepass.nfl.comOn the last drive, Matt LaFleur gets the ball into Mariota’s hands once more with a read option play. While Mariota isn’t quite as good of a runner as Cam Newton, he’s still really good, and I commend LaFleur for using this play at the right time, as #8 goes through a small gap for another third down conversion. This wasn’t a spectacular performance by any means, but Marcus Mariota was huge in this one thanks to his contributions on third down. While he continues to recover from injury, starting 2-1 on the season is massive for the Titans. They get a big test at home with the Eagles coming to visit, which is why their start to the season is critical.To conclude, Mariota had a good performance that was much better than what the box score said of him. WASHINGTON (7-7) at TENNESSEE (8-6)Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET, NFLNOPENING LINE 鈥?Titans by 10RECORD VS. SPREAD 鈥?Washington 8-6, Tennessee 8-6SERIES RECORD 鈥?Tied 6-6LAST MEETING 鈥?Redskins beat Titans 19-17, Oct. 20, 2014LAST WEEK 鈥?Redskins beat Jaguars 16-13; Titans beat Giants 17-0AP PRO32 RANKING 鈥?Redskins No. 18 Cheap Malcolm Butler Jersey , Titans No. 14REDSKINS OFFENSE 鈥?OVERALL (28), RUSH (17), PASS (26)REDSKINS DEFENSE 鈥?OVERALL (18), RUSH (18), PASS (18)TITANS OFFENSE 鈥?OVERALL (27), RUSH (5), PASS (30)TITANS DEFENSE 鈥?OVERALL (7), RUSH (12), PASS (6)STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES 鈥?Titans 5-1 at home this season and winners of 15 of last 18 at home. ... Titans coming off 16th shutout in franchise history and fourth on road. They are 3-0 vs. NFC East this season, but Redskins have won last two in series. ... Redskins 5-2 on road this season. ... Redskins QB Josh Johnson coming off first career victory as starter, making 32-year-old fourth-oldest QB in Super Bowl era to notch first win. ... Redskins RB Adrian Peterson has 923 yards rushing. ... Pro Bowl LB Ryan Kerrigan had two sacks and forced fumble last week. ... Redskins DL Jonathan Allen had two sacks last week. ... Redskins LB Mason Foster third in NFC with 115 tackles. ... Titans have allowed one offensive TD in past three games and are NFL's No. 2 scoring defense, allowing 18.1 points per game. ... Titans QB Marcus Mariota has six TDs with three interceptions and 96.4 passer rating in five home games this season. ... Titans RB Derrick Henry fifth player since 2002 to run for 170 or more yards rushing and two or more TDs in consecutive games. He has 408 yards rushing along with six TDs in past two games 鈥?both franchise records. ... RB Dion Lewis one of two AFC running backs with 500 or more yards rushing (512) and 50 or more catches (53) this season. ... Titans WR Corey Davis leads team with 57 catches for 798 yards and four TDs. ... S Kevin Byard had sack and interception last week. ... Fantasy tip: Henry. Stick with bruising running back until someone proves they can slow down roll Henry's on.