Mariota guts out win Monday night

Oct 18, 2017 - 1:28 AM NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The talk coming out of the Tennessee Titans' Monday night win over Indianapolis was not so much ending their 11-game losing streak against their AFC South rival, but rather the way that quarterback Marcus Mariota handled himself and played on a balky hamstring.

Mariota shook off a third-quarter interception that was returned by the Colts' John Simon for a touchdown to rally the Titans to 21 fourth-quarter points and a 36-22 victory.

Mariota was unable to run, save for a 1-yard fourth-down quarterback sneak that moved the chains, but stood in the pocket and won the game with his arm, and a solid complement from the running game that eventually wore down the Colts' defense in the second half.

"I know he was well protected and (that) allowed him to stay in there better than most of the games we've been a part of. I think our line and backs and tight ends did a great job of keeping the pocket pretty well secured for him," Titans head coach Mike Mularkey said. "There were a number of times he's had to move a little bit, but not like he has in prior games where he's had to escape and make something happen. I know it's only his third year, but any experience he can get like he did with what he did last night certainly isn't going to hurt him."

His gutsy effort certainly was not lost on his teammates after the game.

"That's Marcus Mariota. If he can play, he's going to play. He is the leader of this team and today he showed it by coming out there and playing," Titans tight end Delanie Walker said.

Running back Derrick Henry, who enjoyed a huge performance himself with 131 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown near the end of the game, also had high praise for his quarterback and fellow Heisman Trophy winner.

"Credit Marcus. He's a tough guy. To come out there at not even 100 percent, to come out here and play and lead us to a win against a good division opponent. All credit goes to him. That shows what type of leader he is, what type of guy he is and how great he is," Henry said.

--One of the more bizarre scenes of Monday night came late in the game when the Titans had to call timeout while running their four-minute offense, because the heel of tackle Taylor Lewan's cleat had ripped off.

Lewan headed off the field and was replaced momentarily by Brian Schwenke (Quinton Spain would have shifted to left tackle) while Lewan looked for a replacement size 14 shoe.

Then, in an interesting twist of fate, a timeout was called and Schwenke gave Lewan his cleat to finish the game. Why is that interesting? Because Schwenke normally wears a size 13 cleat, but for the first time in his career, he had forgotten them and left his shoes at the practice facility. The equipment staff had no extra size 13s, and Schwenke was forced to use a size 14, which he then loaned to Lewan.

"It was a big day for me. I"m glad I could contribute," Schwenke said with a wry sense of humor. "For the first time in my career I forgot my cleats, and I wore a size 14. So if that's not fate, I don't know what is."

Said Lewan, "I've never seen a team in a four-minute drill call a timeout. Schwenke actually forgot his cleats today and had to wear a size 14. The irony is a little bit ridiculous, but it was a good day."



REPORT CARD VS. COLTS

--PASSING OFFENSE: A -- Marcus Mariota was back, and the boost he gave the Titans' passing offense was evident. A week after Tennessee struggled with Matt Cassel at the helm, Mariota threw for 306 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown toss to rookie Taywan Taylor that put Tennessee ahead for good.

--RUSHING OFFENSE: A -- Derrick Henry led the way with 131 yards rushing, including a 72-yard romp at the end to seal it. The Titans had 168 yards on the ground as a team, 99 more than the week before against Miami.

--PASS DEFENSE: A -- They allowed Donte Moncrief to hurt them a time or two, but the main focus was stopping perennial Titans killer T.Y. Hilton. Mission accomplished. The Titans held Hilton to just one catch for 19 yards Monday night.

--RUSH DEFENSE: B -- The first half was terrible as both Frank Gore and Marlon Mack gashed the Titans, but after some adjustments at halftime, that duo finished with just 58 yards total between them on the ground.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: A-minus -- Ryan Succop continues to be magnificently consistent, making five field goals and establishing and then extending an NFL record with 51 straight made field goals inside of 50 yards. Brett Kern only punted once all night. The only downside was a poor decision by Adoree' Jackson that had the Titans starting one drive from their 6 and kickoff return coverage that gave up a huge return to Quan Bray, leading to a game-tying field goal.

--COACHING: B-plus -- Overall, a good job. Offensively, people questioned Terry Robiskie's red-zone play-calling, but he stayed the course and got a good payoff in the fourth quarter with 21 points. Defensively, Dick LeBeau made some solid adjustments in the second half that literally choked off Jacoby Brissett and the Indy offense. The other credit goes to head coach Mike Mularkey for keeping the team's focus away from their 11-game losing streak to the Colts.