NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Marcus Mariota was beaten up and had no help.
Those were big factors for the Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback on Sunday during a 38-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Mariota’s protection was poor, allowing five sacks and regular harassment. Rookie right tackle Jeremiah Poutasi fared so badly against Cameron Wake that he was benched in favor of Jamon Meredith. Meredith had the good sense to hold when he had to.
Mariota’s targets didn’t get great separation or make many plays for him. The failure of Dorial Green-Beckham to corral one pass that was a bit behind him, but completely catchable, was particularly noteworthy.
Mariota finished 21-of-33 for 291 yards.
“Just missed throws,” he said. “I was inaccurate at times and that happens. I’ve got to shake that off and get ready for next week.”
The offensive line was bad, the targets were bad, but Mariota was bad too.
He’s got a lot to figure out just five games into his career, but, like everyone else on the field, he’s allowed to overcome adversity, he’s allowed to lift the level of play of other people.
Twice he let the Dolphins knock the ball away from him, and the Titans lost both fumbles. He threw two interceptions, one where safety Reshad Jones jumped a route and went 30 yards for a score, another on a diving catch by Brent Grimes at the Miami 3-yard line, ending the Titans' one best chance to make it a game.
“That one is going to get at me a little bit,” Mariota said of Grimes’ play. “Anthony Fasano was open, I tried to kind of stick it on him, make sure I completed it, and Brent Grimes made a good play on it. He’s a veteran cornerback, and he’s made plays like that before. In that situation I can’t be too safe with the ball.”
Teammates saluted the quarterback’s toughness. Some joined coach Ken Whisenhunt in bemoaning Dolphins end Olivier Vernon’s low, late hit on Mariota that injured his left knee.
“Marcus is a great football player, he’s got a lot of heart, courage,” tight end Delanie Walker said. “For him to take that punishment, it’s kind of hard to look him in his eyes when we didn’t do our best to protect him.”
Mariota’s knee could be an issue going forward.
If it is any sort of issue in the morning he’ll likely have tests. He said he will “definitely” practice in full on Wednesday, so he isn’t expecting any problem.
Mariota’s psyche isn’t an issue. While he may beat himself up for a bit over that throw and other mistakes, he’s able to put stuff away and move on.
Can his linemen and receivers do the same? They haven’t provided much cause for us to believe so.