Mariota finally in for a finale
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota expects to scratch one big item off his football bucket list Sunday when the third-year pro plays in his first NFL regular-season finale.
Playing in a postseason game is still up in the air.
Mariota has been criticized heavily for regressing this year, and Tennessee (8-7) heads into Week 17 with just as many victories as it managed with him a year ago before a season-ending injury cost him a chance at his 16th game of 2016. But one more win — against AFC South champion Jacksonville (10-5) in Nashville — and the Titans will make the playoffs for the first time since 2009.
“All I really care about is winning,” Mariota said. “When it comes down to it, yes, I would have liked to play better throughout the year. But we have an opportunity. We have a chance to go in the playoffs … That’s all you really want to do. When the offseason rolls around, obviously I’ll find ways to improve and get better from it. But right now my main focus is just going there and winning this game with these guys.”
Sitting out a 16-10 loss in Miami on Oct. 8 means Mariota will have to wait until 2018 to prove he can survive a full 16-game schedule, but he is aware of the significance of his first Titans finale.
“I want to be able to be available every single game,” he said Wednesday. “I think being able to play in this one — I’m looking forward to it.”
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft and 2014 Heisman Trophy winner at the University of Oregon set very high expectations this year because of a handful of stats such as posting the sixth-highest passer rating for a quarterback in his first two NFL seasons. Mariota trailed Kurt Warner, Dan Marino, Nick Foles, Russell Wilson and Ben Roethlisberger in that category.
Mariota still has yet to be intercepted inside the red zone as an NFL quarterback, and only the Indianapolis Colts’ Andrew Luck has a higher passer rating inside an opponent’s 20 since 2015. But Mariota entered this season with 33 touchdowns in that area of the field, and he has added only six more.
Worse, Mariota has 15 interceptions with only 12 touchdowns this season after throwing just nine interceptions with 26 touchdowns in 2016. Mariota has been intercepted at least twice in four games this year.
“A few of those have been bad decisions,” Mariota said. “Others have been miscommunications, and that’s on my end. That’s things that I can grow from and I’ll get better from.”
Titans coach Mike Mularkey is glad to have Mariota available with the playoffs on the line. For those wanting to measure Mariota against his first two seasons, Mularkey brought up how the quarterback is coming off a rather significant injury that meant the quarterback could not put weight on his right leg for approximately eight weeks after surgery last offseason. Mariota also has played after straining a hamstring, hurting a shoulder and injuring a knee.
Mularkey noted Mariota is the franchise’s first quarterback to throw for at least 3,000 yards in back-to-back seasons since Steve McNair in 2003.
“For the most part, I’ve been pretty pleased,” Mularkey said. “Would we like him better? Obviously, we all would.”
Injury updates
Titans running back DeMarco Murray (right knee) and cornerback Logan Ryan (ankle) did not practice Wednesday. Mularkey said Murray’s playing status is likely to be a gametime decision. Asked about reports Murray has a torn MCL, Mularkey said that’s not what he was told.