Titans’ Mariota now 2-8 at home after latest turnover
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Indianapolis Colts outside linebacker Robert Mathis (98) recovers a fumble after Colts defensive tackle T.Y. McGill (99) stripped the ball away from Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, in Nashville, Tenn. Mathis scored a touchdown on the play. The Colts won 34-26.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. » An unnecessary roughness penalty for a blindside hit wiped out Marcus Mariota’s interception. The Titans quarterback managed to fall on the ball after simply dropping it on handoff.
His third mistake counted and couldn’t have been more costly Sunday.
Mariota fumbled when sacked, and Robert Mathis picked up the ball and ran 14 yards for the clinching touchdown in a 34-26 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. This latest loss leaves the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft just 2-8 on his home field for his career with his latest turnover bringing that total to 19: six fumbles and 13 interceptions.
Tennessee coach Mike Mularkey said the key is protecting the ball better.
“That’s one of the things we have to stop doing,” Mularkey said.
The Titans (3-4) trailed 27-23 when they got the ball at their own 25 with 1:55 left and a timeout. A perfect moment for Mariota to follow up his winning performance of a week ago against Cleveland.
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On the first play, T.Y. McGill came through the Titans’ line where Brian Schwenke replaced starting left guard Quinton Spain, who was carted off the field in the second quarter. McGill stripped Mariota of the ball , which Mathis grabbed for the easy TD with 1:47 left.
“I was trying to step up in the pocket and make a throw to the left,” Mariota said. “They moved from the pressure, probably could have moved away from it. It was one of those things that was kind of perfect timing for him. I was separating my hands to throw the football. He just kind of poked at it and ended up knocking it out.”
Josh McNary’s hit on Titans tight end Delanie Walker wiped out Patrick Robinson’s interception late in the third quarter, and Mariota later dropped the ball in the same drive for a 9-yard loss to end the quarter. But Mariota capped the drive with a TD pass.
Mariota finished throwing for 232 yards and two touchdowns. But the Titans quarterback was streaky, opening the game completing his first five passes with the last a 10-yard TD pass to left tackle Taylor Lewan. Then he missed five of his next six passes, throwing too high. He sailed a pass to Andre Johnson on third-and-1 in the second quarter.
The quarterback took the blame, noting he also missed Rishard Matthews on a deep pass down the field.
“Again, that really was on me,” Mariota said. “I mean I just missed throws in the pass game, especially on third down. We can’t be missing those opportunities. We’ve got to continue to move the chains, allow us to either score points or pin them deep.”
Mariota completed passes to seven different receivers counting Lewan.
Tight end Delanie Walker, who caught a 7-yard TD pass that tied the game at 20 early in the fourth quarter, thinks Mariota was trying to throw to him before fumbling and said the quarterback might be taking too much of the blame for the team’s offensive struggles.
“He only plays one position,” Walker said. “We all go to do our part.”
With the loss, the Titans missed a chance yet at their longest winning streak since 2011. They wrap up a three-game home stand Thursday night hosting Jacksonville and still searching for both ball security and offensive consistency with the second-year quarterback.
“With what happened (Sunday), guys are hungry to get back on the field,” Mariota said. “It’s an opportunity to get back on track and get rolling again.”
21 responses to “Titans’ Mariota now 2-8 at home after latest turnover”
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Another in the long list of “local” athletes overhyped to the point of nauseam.
People talk or read about who’s relevant and what can get the most clicks and views. Any suggestions on who should be written more? Anyone? Anyone? Ok, besides Dave Shoji.
Any one of the starting high school athletes on this year’s football playoff teams, with emphasis on public school kids. Any number of starters on the UH football team, except for Collie who already got too much ink. Any one of hundreds of NFL stars (actual stars) and not one who only appeals to koolaid drinkers and ones who think they’re worldly because they go to Vegas.
People only have a slight interest in their high school football team if they have a relative on it. It’s Al Bundy scoring six touchdowns in a high school football game in his glory days.
What is his relevance right now, except being “local”?
He’s on the highest rated program on tv called The National Football League. Well, after the presidential circus debates with the guy with the small hands are pau.
Can Oceanic stop televising the Titan games instead of mo bettah games! So lose money!
I can handle his struggles on the field. he should get better. Why I can’t handle is his wooden “actin.” His commercials make me take my business elsewhere.
Go Mariota, you can do it. Focus and execute. You make Hawaii proud! Even from this Texan!
It takes a little time. This season is still young. He will get his good days.
Yes, you got that right! Mariota had his back to the wall pretty much from day one. He had to help re-build a team that was not winning. One person cannot do it alone.
At least he didnt go to UH where his career would have ended in college. He went to a mainland University and now he is getting paid in the pros. All Hawaii High school athletes should go to the mainland because UH is a career killer.
Follow that logic, the NFL would only have players from Hawaii.
sounds like another allie
By the comments that are being written in The Tennessean newspaper, people are getting tired of Mariota’s act and excuses and are blaming him for the team’s losses. They definitely should have beaten Minnesota in the first game as Mariota’s two turnovers turned into 14 pts. for Minnesota which was the difference in that game and every game but one, Mariota has turned over the ball either through fumble or interceptions and people are getting irritated about his constant comments that he is to blame ………granted the Titans don’t have quality receivers but Mariota’s turnovers have been costly and it seemed he is losing the confidence of his team, also……Oh, well, another Heisman winner that is TANKING…………thank goodness the Titans are in the worse division in the AFC or the NFL……nothing more and nothing less.
Have to agree. He’s starting to sound like a politician. Complete more passes, move the chains. blah blah blah…..this is the NFL. Just win baby.
Opinions are like B.O. Everybody has it.
Right now Mariota’s BO is pretty putrid.
The NFL experts who actually gets paid for their comments think that Mariota will be good. Those Tennessee amateur critics also think that Elvis is still alive.
Elvis IS still alive, there’s multiple sightings of him everyday from all over the world. In fact, his appeal is still way greater than Mariota’s who only appeals to a few of the “locals”.
Must be the same NFL experts who thought Johnny Manziel would be good.