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Falcons: Ranking Marcus Mariota’s best games in his NFL career

By Grayson Freestone

Aug 18, 2018; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) gives his towel to a young fan after the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 18, 2018; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) gives his towel to a young fan after the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) passes on a play that was deflected and ultimately caught by Mariota, leading to his touchdown during the second half at Arrowhead Stadium Jan. 6, 2018 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Titans won the AFC Wild Card playoff 22-21.Nas Titans Vs Chiefs 0106
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) passes on a play that was deflected and ultimately caught by Mariota, leading to his touchdown during the second half at Arrowhead Stadium Jan. 6, 2018 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Titans won the AFC Wild Card playoff 22-21.Nas Titans Vs Chiefs 0106 /

6) January 6, 2018 – Playoff game vs. Chiefs – Won 22 to 21

  • Passing: 19/31 | 61.3% | 205 yards | 6.6 avg | 2 TDs | 1 int | 88.8 QBR
  • Rushing: 8 attempts | 46 yards
  • Receiving: 1 reception | 6 yards | 1 TD

Okay, these may not be the most eye-catching numbers for the Falcons’ new quarterback but you have to include his first, and only, playoff game win on this list.

The Titans got off to a slow start against Alex Smith and the Chiefs in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs as they trailed 21 to 3 going into halftime, but Marcus Mariota rallied the troops in the middle of the third quarter.

Mariota capped off a 15-play, 91-yard drive by throwing a six-yard touchdown to, umm, himself. Yes, you read that right, he threw a touchdown to himself, which explains why he has receiving stats in this game. It was a wacky play that basically never happens in any NFL game, let alone the playoffs.

The Titans would then go on to score two more touchdowns via a 35-yard run from Derrick Henry and a 22-yard pass from Marcus Mariota to Eric Decker. That would end up being the last of the scoring for that game, as the Titans moved on to play the Patriots in the Divisional Round where they got stomped 35-14.

5) October 27, 2016 – Week 7 vs. Jaguars – Won 36 to 22

  • Passing: 18/22 | 81.8% | 270 yards | 12.3 avg | 2 TDs | 0 int | 149.8 QBR
  • Rushing: 5 attempts | 0 yards

One thing you will find with Mariota is that he has had some ridiculous games when it comes to completion percentage, this is not the last game on this list where he had a completion percentage north of 80.

The efficiency he played with in this primetime game was remarkable. Usually, when you see a QB completing more than 80% of his passes, it means he threw a lot of check downs but the Titans quarterback averaged 12.3 yards per completion which is remarkable. Consider that the active leader in yards per completion is Jameis Winston at 12.6 yards, which comes with a lot of baggage.

Having a 149.8 quarterback rating is just 8.5 points short of hitting the max. Throw in a respectable 270 yards and two touchdowns compared to zero interceptions, and it made for a great primetime performance during his sophomore season.

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