USA TODAY International Edition
Mariota steps up to rally Titans
After a promising second NFL season, Marcus Mariota regressed in 2017 and raised questions as to whether he would meet the elite-level expectations placed upon him when the Tennessee Titans drafted him second overall in 2015.
Mariota’s touchdown pass total plummeted from 26 in 2016 to 13 and his interception tally spiked from nine a year ago to 15. And he frequently struggled in pressure situations.
But Saturday evening, with his Titans on the brink of elimination while trailing Kansas City 21-3 at halftime, Mariota delivered a second-half performance that could provide hope for his organization this postseason and beyond.
Mariota completed 12 of 18 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns (one to himself as he caught a batted pass and dived into the end zone) after halftime and also carried the ball seven times for 34 yards. In so doing, he led his team on a 19-point comeback to beat the Chiefs 22-21.
One of the most impressive elements of his play Saturday involved the ease and confidence with which he carried himself as he took control of the offense and directed the no-huddle attack, which put pressure on Kansas City’s defense. Mariota also made a number of pre-snap adjustments, capitalizing on holes the Chiefs left open in their defensive front.
Facing the most high-pressure situation of his pro career, Mariota appeared to grow up. He showed why some around the league believe he can wind up impacting the game similarly to the way Aaron Rodgers does. The challenge for Mariota is to establish consistency.
The challenge intensifies this week as he faces Tom Brady and the Patriots, a matchup virtually no one expects the Titans to win. However, New England’s defense has struggled against mobile quarterbacks, so Mariota could cause the unit some trouble.
Newton’s to-do list
After his team’s loss to New Orleans in the playoffs Sunday, Carolina’s Cam Newton took the right approach.
“I’m frustrated,” the quarterback said after the game. “I hate that I couldn’t do enough to get a win today for a lot of guys that I think so highly of. I just have to be better. I’m not going to take the cowardly way and point somebody else out.”
That was good to hear, because Newton does indeed have to be better. When he led the Panthers to a 15-1 record while passing for nearly 4,000 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2015, earning MVP and offensive player of the year, he appeared poised to dominate the league for years.
But ever since Newton has struggled with accuracy and consistency. This season he threw 16 interceptions (one shy of his career high) and 22 touchdowns. Newton remains an elite athlete, but he’s not a next-level passer. But the Panthers need him to be. Carolina management tried to help him by providing another weapon in versatile running back Christian McCaffrey. Next on the to-do list should be acquiring a deep threat.
But this offseason, Newton also needs to help himself. That will require work in the classroom and on the practice field.
When he’s able to go to his first read, Newton tends to excel. But his effectiveness wanes when he has to sit in the pocket and work through progressions. Improvement here will make it difficult for defenses to stop him. Newton also must refine his technique. At times his footwork and throwing motion get sloppy, impacting his accuracy.
Newton ranked in the bottom half of the league among starters in terms of accuracy (59.1%), passer rating (80.7) and passing yards (3,302). It’s time for him to refine his skills so his effectiveness as a passer matches his level of athleticism.
Cameron Jordan
Speaking of Newton, he very well might have led his Panthers to a comeback victory over the Saints had it not been for the heroics of New Orleans defensive end Cameron Jordan.
The seventh-year veteran recorded three tackles, a sack, two QB hits, two passes defensed and forced Newton into a late-game intentional grounding call that prompted a 10-second run-off and put Carolina in a third-and-23 situation with 19 seconds remaining. Jordan registered a pressure on the final defensive play, and teammate Von Bell sacked Newton.
For Jordan, it represented the continuation of a regular-season body of work that featured a career-high 13 sacks (tied for fourth in the league), 62 tackles, 11 passes defensed, one interception returned for a touchdown and two forced fumbles.
Of the top pass rushers remaining in the playoffs (Jacksonville’s Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue, Minnesota’s Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter and Pittsburgh’s Cameron Hayward), few impact the game in as many ways as Jordan.
As the Saints advance to the next round, he’ll get the chance to further prove his prowess.