Tennessee Titans Marcus Mariota career off to fast start

Tennessee Titans

Nashville, TN – Arguably the most significant reason for optimism in the Tennessee Titans camp is the play of Marcus Mariota, who completed his second NFL season in 2016.

As a first alternate for the NFL Pro Bowl, the former second-overall pick would have been the sixth Titan to receive an invitation for the all-star game had he been physically able to participate.

His season came to an end when he fractured his right fibula at the Jacksonville Jaguars on December 24th, which required surgery to correct. He was placed on injured reserve in Week 17.

Even with his season cut short by one game, Mariota’s 2016 statistics were among the best in franchise history. He completed 276 of 451 passes for 3,426 yards with 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions, with his touchdown total finishing fourth in team history and his yardage total ranking seventh.

Furthermore, his 95.6 passer rating ranked third in team annals for a single season, behind only Steve McNair’s 100.4 passer rating in 2003 and Warren Moon’s 96.8 in 1990. Mariota became the first quarterback in franchise history to post back-to-back seasons with a passer rating of 90 or better (91.5 in 2015).

In his first two years combined, Mariota passed for 6,244 yards and 45 touchdowns, while throwing only 19 interceptions. His 93.8 career passer rating ranked sixth in NFL history for a player’s first two NFL campaigns, trailing only Kurt Warner (107.9), Dan Marino (104.5), Nick Foles (101.0), Russell Wilson (100.6) and Ben Roethlisberger (98.3).

Mariota’s 16 games with at least two touchdown passes tied for third alltime for a player’s first two NFL seasons, matching the production of Wilson and Peyton Manning, and trailing only Marino (22) and Derek Carr (17).