Jaguars vs. Titans: Grades, Notes and Quotes
Wins are always a precious commodity, and it's even truer when you're a team that has managed just just five wins over the last two seasons.
The Tennessee Titans finally won a close game by defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars, thus ending their 11-game losing streak at home.
This was a big win for interim head coach Mike Mularkey, as he showed that he can make the necessary adjustments against divisional opponents. It won't mean much in the final standings, but this was a win that the Titans desperately needed to show that they're heading in the right direction.
It's hard to find a win on the remaining schedule for the Titans, but an upset or two will leave plenty of room for optimism heading into next season.
Position Grades for Titans
1 of 6
Quarterback: A
The resiliency that Marcus Mariota continues to show as a rookie quarterback is uncanny. He has had every excuse to put up pedestrian numbers but keeps plugging along for an impressive season.
He's not just putting up the great numbers, but he's also giving his team a better chance to win. Even with the disappointing record, the Titans have remained competitive in many of their losses. Mariota deserves a lot of credit for elevating the chances of this team's winning on a weekly basis.
It's hard to deny what Mariota mustered up on his 87-yard touchdown scamper. It completely changed the game and was the big offensive play that was missing in the close losses the Titans have suffered. He finished with 112 rushing yards, to go along with 268 yards through the air.
For what it's worth, Mariota's touchdown run was one of the longest by a quarterback in over 50 years, per Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com.
Mariota's interception was not his fault, as it went through the hands of Dorial Green-Beckham and into the hands of a Jaguars defender.
Running Back: B-
Antonio Andrews did his job of gaining tough yardage in key situations. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry on limited opportunities, and rookie David Cobb saw a more expanded role as the secondary option.
This duo helped pace the Titans offense, and Mariota did the rest. When the Titans have a dependable running game, Mariota can be lethal. The running game wasn't necessarily unstoppable, but it was good enough to give the Titans some open passing lanes for Mariota to operate.
Wide Receiver: B
Green-Beckham somewhat made up for the wild inconsistency that we've seen from him in his rookie year in this outing. He's had to take on a bigger role since Justin Hunter was lost for the season, and he offered a huge jolt of energy for the offense.
More games like this from Green-Beckham will lead to more wins for the Titans in the future. It was an off day for a defense that's usually good for holding the opponent under 20 points, but Green-Beckham helped offset that.
It was a quiet game from the rest of the Titans' receiving corps.
Tight End: B
Delanie Walker continued his great season as this team's primary target in the passing game. Most opposing defenses should know that the ball is coming to him often, and he still keeps putting up solid numbers.
Two touchdowns came from this position against the Jaguars, with Walker and Craig Stevens being the beneficiaries.
Offensive Line: C
The pass protection is still showing mild progress, but the offensive line allowed Mariota to get sacked four times. With that said, the unit has gotten better under Mularkey's leadership.
Defensive Line: B-
This unit did its job to limit the Jags' running game by holding them to 81 yards. That forced Blake Bortles to try to win the game with his arm, and he was almost successful at doing that with five touchdown passes.
Jurrell Casey got his sixth sack of the season.
Linebacker: C+
It wasn't the best game from a unit that should be considered the strongest of the entire team. The absence of Derrick Morgan had an impact on the unit's ability to rush the passer, and it was widely kept quiet.
Avery Williamson led the unit with six tackles, with Brian Orakpo contributing with four tackles.
Secondary: F
The Achilles' heel of this team has become the secondary. It showed its ugly face in this game, as the Titans were lucky to get a win after allowing 39 points.
You'd be lying if you said you thought the Titans would have won after allowing that many points. The secondary just can't contain top receivers from the opposition. In this case, it was Allen Robinson. He caught three touchdowns and basically kept this game from being a blowout.
What Robinson did was even more impressive because Allen Hurns missed the game as the Jags' other primary receiver.
This is an area that the Titans clearly have to address in the offseason.
Coaching: B+
Some major credit is owed to Mularkey for going against the grain and choosing to go for it on fourth down to make it a two-possession game at halftime.
Having that two-possession cushion is huge for a team's confidence, and it couldn't be truer for a two-win Titans team. He sent a psychological message with choosing to go for it that carried over to the second half. Players and fans alike respect a head coach who is willing to take calculated risks. This was a risk worth taking, and it made a major difference in the final outcome.
Mariota's 87-Yard TD Run
2 of 6
Mariota now has two career rushing touchdowns, and they both came against the Jaguars.
The touchdown run by Mariota in the first meeting should have led to a Titans wins, but they came up short. His electrifying 87-yard touchdown run in Week 13 didn't end up going to waste, as the Titans secured the win.
Mariota joined a class that only he resides in by putting up the rushing and passing numbers he did against the Jags, via Jim Wyatt of the team's official website: ".@Titans QB Marcus Mariota is first player (vets included) in @NFL history with 250+ pass yds, 100+ rush yds & 3 TD passes in a game."
What Mariota has done with limited resources around him is astounding. As long as the Titans front office effectively builds around him, he will become one of the new faces of the NFL at quarterback.
Dorial Green-Beckham Has Breakout Game
3 of 6
The inconsistency of Dorial Green-Beckham has been frustrating, but his upside should negate all of that. He was nearly a year removed from organized football before being drafted by the Titans.
Green-Beckham has become the team's primary target on the outside, along with Kendall Wright. He performed well in this win over the Jaguars with 119 yards and a touchdown. He now has three touchdowns in his rookie campaign.
The progression of Green-Beckham will play a big role in how much the Titans offense progresses through the last four games of 2015. He's a huge target for Mariota, and all that's missing is his development as a route-runner.
It's hard to find the silver lining in a 3-9 season, but Green-Beckham's steady progression is one of them. He looks to have a bright future.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Secondary Continues to Get Burned
4 of 6
Despite the win, the secondary continues to be the eyesore of the defense. It contributed to the Jaguars' putting up 39 points and five touchdowns through the air.
It had no answer for Allen Robinson, who had three touchdowns and over 150 yards.
This all happened despite the Jaguars' missing one of their top receiving threats, Allen Hurns.
It hasn't been a great year from Blidi Wreh-Wilson, and that trend continued against the Jaguars. He was essentially benched early in the game for B.W. Webb, per John Glennon of the Tennessean.
Webb has played well in his time filling in for injured players. The smart move may be to let Webb start a few games and see how he responds.
The Titans need a healthy Jason McCourty back for next season. It's a pass-happy NFL, and the Titans can't survive without a better secondary than the one they're fielding.
Getting a lockdown corner in the next draft has to be a priority. It's the one piece that's missing from keeping this defense from being elite, even after giving up 39 points.
Kendall Wright on Green-Beckham's Performance
5 of 6
A huge performance from Dorial Green-Beckham helped propel the Titans to their offensive outburst. He erupted for his first 100-yard game of his young career, including a long touchdown reception that put Tennessee up 28-19.
This was the kind of outburst the Titans had been waiting for and hopefully a window into the future of what he can bring to the offense.
Kendall Wright's comment on Green-Beckham's performance summed it up perfectly, via the Titans' official Twitter account: "That monster came out in him, and everybody finally got to see it."
Look for Green-Beckham to keep getting a ton of targets from Mariota in the remainder of the season.
Mariota on Decision to Go for It on 4th Down
6 of 6
Head coach Mike Mularkey made a huge statement when he elected to skip the easy field-goal attempt and go for the touchdown late in the first half.
The field goal would have put the Titans up by five at the half. With the way the Titans have been failing to close out games, pushing the lead to a two-possession margin was critical. It was a gutsy move by Mularkey—one that paid off. He deserves a lot of credit for not sticking to the conservative route and for sending a message to his players.
Marcus Mariota said the team wasn't expecting that call, per Jason Wolf of the Tennessean.
Mularkey is fighting an uphill battle to become this franchise's next head coach, but he has the Titans playing competitive football, and that should be worth something when looking over his future.
If the Titans can pull off a 2-2 record over the last four games, then Mularkey will make this head coaching search very interesting.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
