Titans' Mike Vrabel Was 'Not Very' Close to Benching Marcus Mariota vs. Jaguars

Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters he was "not very" close to replacing starting quarterback Marcus Mariota with backup Ryan Tannehill in the midst of their 20-7 loss at the Jacksonville Jaguars' TIAA Bank Field on Thursday.

Tennessee allowed nine sacks and didn't score until the fourth quarter. Mariota threw for 304 yards, but 81 of them occurred in garbage time on the Titans' last drive.

The fifth-year pro completed just 23 of 40 passes and missed a wide-open Delanie Walker in the end zone on his team's first second-half drive.

Mariota has struggled in back-to-back games, as he threw for just 154 yards (5.5 yards per pass attempt) in a 19-17 home loss to the Indianapolis Colts the week before.

In fairness to the ex-Oregon star, he's been sacked more times than any other quarterback in league history through three weeks, according to NFL Research:

Still, the Titans offense is on life support, having scored just seven points in their last 79 minutes of play dating back to Week 2.

The question now is whether the Titans offense can rebound or if Vrabel will be forced make a change.

The Titans' upcoming schedule against opposing pass defenses won't ease up much. Returns are early, but Tennessee will face the No. 7 and No. 9 most efficient pass defenses in the Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills next, per Football Outsiders.

On the plus side, left tackle Taylor Lewan, who has one game left on a four-game performance-enhancing drug suspension, will be back for Week 5 and should help keep Mariota upright.

Tennessee will look to get back on track for its Week 4 matchup at Atlanta on Sunday, Sept. 29, at 1 p.m. ET.