Titans vs. Buccaneers: Score, Reaction from Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston Debut

Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota were the top two overall picks in the 2015 NFL draft, but they appeared miles apart in their faculties to be franchise quarterbacks on Sunday.

Selected after Winston in the draft, Mariota outperformed his counterpart by a long shot, registered a perfect passer rating and led the Tennessee Titans to a resounding 42-14 victory over Winston's Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.

Mariota seemed more pro-ready despite hailing from a spread Oregon offense, as opposed to Winston's NFL-style Florida State system. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner's first-half performance was nothing short of brilliant, starting with a 52-yard touchdown pass to Kendall Wright:

That was one of four TD tosses for Mariota in the opening half, when he was 10-of-13 for 173 yards and hardly gashed the Bucs with his legs. ESPN Stats & Info put Mariota's legendary performance in perspective:    

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller credited Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt and the staff for putting Mariota in an ideal position to thrive:

"We worked hard all week and to be able to be successful and execute was good for us," said Mariota afterwards, per the Titans' official Twitter account, adding, "The entire offense played well. I'm very fortunate to be a part of the group that I am."

Winston, who's now lost to Mariota twice in a row dating back to the inaugural College Football Playoff, threw for a score on his first NFL pass—except it went to the Titans, as Coty Sensabaugh took it to the house for a 26-yard pick-six.

The NFL on ESPN, citing Elias Sports Bureau, alluded to the elite company Winston joined amid his rocky start:

The Associated Press' Tim Reynolds revisited the two signal-callers' college backgrounds for a tidbit of context after Mariota hit Bishop Sankey on a 12-yard TD connection with 6:49 left in the first quarter:

Mariota added a four-yard scoring strike to Harry Douglas 3:47 before halftime and then found tight end Delanie Walker on a quick release for a one-yard TD with 48 seconds remaining until the midway break.

Douglas spoke about Mariota prior to Sunday's contest—and it sounded as though he were describing the Titans QB after his phenomenal maiden start, per Jim Wyatt of the team's official website:

"

For him to be so young, to be a rookie quarterback and how calm he is about everything. He has done nothing but gain 100 percent confidence from me. I believe in him 100 percent.  When he first came in here, you understood why he's had so much success. It starts with his demeanor, and how humble he is. His future is so bright.

"

Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans was out of the lineup with a hamstring injury, robbing Winston of perhaps his most lethal weapon. That certainly didn't help, nor did Tampa Bay's suspect offensive line that had difficulty protecting Winston all game long.

Will Brinson of CBSSports.com was highly critical of Winston's official NFL debut, as he completed 16-of-33 pass attempts for 210 yards with two touchdowns and two picks:

Credit Mariota for coming out firing on all cylinders and helping Tennessee emerge as the only AFC South team to win in Week 1.

Fox radio personality Colin Cowherd simplified his evaluation of Mariota and believes he looks the part of the Titans' long-term answer under center:

"

Marcus Mariota passes eyeball test. That is clear. Big, mobile, accurate. Fun 2 watch.

— Colin Cowherd (@ColinCowherd) September 13, 2015"

Bucs tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins did haul in both Winston TDs. But the first only cut the lead to 21-7, and the next one came in garbage time. The latter was a 41-yard score, accounting for a nice chunk of Winston's passing total.

The Titans have to be brimming with confidence after such a horrendous 2014 campaign. They travel to Cleveland to face the Browns in Week 2, taking on a defense that yielded 31 points to the New York Jets in its season opener.

It stands to reason Mariota will continue to roll against Cleveland, though the Browns do have a talented secondary and figure to be eager to bounce back from a woeful start to the year.

If Evans can return for Week 2, perhaps Winston's chances of success increase a considerable degree. The Bucs defense will have to be better when it hits the road in Week 2 to take on Drew Brees and the NFC South-rival New Orleans Saints' prolific passing offense.