Tennessee Titans vs Atlanta Falcons: 4 “X-factors” to watch

NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 2: Marcus Mariota #8 of the Tennessee Titans hands off the ball to Derrick Henry at Nissan Stadium on December 2, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 2: Marcus Mariota #8 of the Tennessee Titans hands off the ball to Derrick Henry at Nissan Stadium on December 2, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
Tennessee Titans quarterback, Marcus Mariota.
(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

Tennessee Titans offense: Marcus Mariota, QB

You may be surprised to find out that Marcus Mariota’s play is actually pretty important in this week’s game. I say that sarcastically because of course the QB is the most important player on the field, but this week isn’t just a normal week for Mariota and the Titans.

Mariota gets criticized for a lot. Some is warranted and some is fans just blaming the QB because he is the most visible player on the team. However, against NFC teams Mariota has historically been pretty hard to criticize.

I’m going to do some easy math here and tell you that if you are using that number to project a baseline for his expected stats this week then this is your projection:

-20 of 29 for 232 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT

I think if you get that statline from Mariota (and the tape matches up) then everyone needs to take a step back and maybe reconsider screaming “Start Tannehill!” after every incomplete pass or WR drop.