Marcus Mariota Showing He Belongs in NFL Despite Mediocre Numbers in TNF Loss

Marcus Mariota didn't have his best game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the No. 2 overall draft pick showed a lot of promise in defeat.

The rookie's season has been one of feast or famine to this point. He has two games with four touchdowns and zero interceptions, both of which were wins for the Tennessee Titans. In his five losses entering Thursday, he had six interceptions with only five touchdowns. By the box score alone, it seemed he was holding his team back with his inconsistency.

Mariota once again put up unimpressive numbers in a 19-13 loss to the Jaguars, throwing for 231 yards with zero touchdowns. With a lasting image of the game being a sack on a chance to win, many will likely put the blame squarely on the quarterback. For a young player with little help around him, however, this contest was proof he belongs. 

From start to finish, the former Heisman Trophy winner showcased impressive accuracy and touch on passes to go with poise in the pocket and the athleticism scouts fell in love with when he was in college. He is far from a finished product, but he has all of the tools necessary to succeed in the NFL.

For the seventh time in eight career games, Mariota completed over 60 percent of his passes. This is something Blake Bortles has done only six times in 24 career games, including Thursday night. While some of the passes were dinks and dunks, Mariota also had some perfect throws down the field like this one to Delanie Walker:

Having a strong arm might be enough to get you drafted. Having the touch to throw it between defenders is what keeps you in the league.

Walker finished with eight catches for 109 yards, mostly because he was the only target the quarterback could truly trust. Top slot receiver Kendall Wright was out with a knee injury. Justin Hunter is out for the season with an ankle injury. Even pass-catching running back Dexter McCluster didn't finish the game after suffering his own knee injury.

According to Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus, the top receivers in snaps in this game were Harry Douglas, Dorial Green-Beckham and Rico Richardson. These players had a combined 19 receptions combing into Week 11 and only contributed four more Thursday. Douglas has been around the league for a while and Green-Beckham has plenty of upside, but the receivers simply couldn't get open against the Jaguars defense and at times looked lazy on the field.

Mariota had very little to work with but did the best he could while avoiding mistakes, finishing with zero turnovers.

Of course, the quarterback's legs contributed to his best play of the day. Mariota kept the ball on a zone read and showcased his speed for a 23-yard touchdown run:

He finished with 29 rushing yards after totaling 24 against the Carolina Panthers the week before. ESPN's Field Yates noted this could be a bigger part of the game plan going forward:

Although he should never become a run-first quarterback, adding this versatility will keep defenders honest and make Mariota an incredibly difficult matchup for opponents.

To be clear, Thursday night was not a perfect game for the rookie. The Titans started 3-of-11 on third downs before converting two against the prevent defense on the last drive. Mariota also often seemed afraid to throw down the field when he had an opportunity. At his worst, he completely lacked awareness on the final play, taking a sack when any pass into the end zone would have been acceptable.

Despite the close loss, his coach doesn't believe this will be a trend:

The coaching staff has a lot of faith in this quarterback and it is for good reason. 

Mariota is already making his mark in the Titans record book for rookie quarterbacks, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online:

His 231 yards gave him 2,026 for the season in just eight games. Vince Young finished his rookie year with 2,199 in 15 games (13 starts). Mariota also already has more touchdown passes (13) than Young had on the season (12). Whether you judge by statistics or the eye test, the first-round pick has lived up to expectations.

It seems obvious even in a weak division that Tennessee isn't going to be competitive in 2015. While the defense has played well, the offensive line provides little protection for Mariota while an injured receiving corps limits the passing options. When this happens, all you can hope for is the rookie quarterback shows the promise he can be the face of the franchise.

Although we are just a half a season into Mariota's career, the ability is there for him to be a star.

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