When the downtrodden 2-14 Tennessee Titans, who hadn’t been to the playoffs in six years, invested the second overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft in Marcus Mariota, he was immediately anointed as “the franchise.”
But the actual realization of that mantle of lofty expectations has come this season, notably the past month.
No longer is it the team’s all-in financial and personnel commitment that defines Mariota’s standing as the face of the Titans, it is his prime-time performances, the latest of which was the 22-21 AFC Wild Card victory at Kansas City Saturday in a comeback of historic playoff proportions.
As the Island Insurance posters, with Mariota in pass-launching pose, around town trumpet, “Success is earned, not given.”
For Mariota, it has been the dutifully engineered five game-winning drives this season that have helped deliver the Titans (9-7) to their first playoff appearance in eight years and send them up against New England on Saturday after their first playoff victory in 14 seasons.
There has been a playoff berth-clinching improvised scramble, a key first-down delivered with a menacing straight arm to Jacksonville strong safety Barry Church, a needle-threaded touchdown pass and a one-for-the-books improbable TD pass to himself, a NFL first in the playoffs.
A lucky play to be sure — “right place, right time” Mariota said — but one where instinct and the drive to win took over.
And, there was even a roller derby-like block on Chiefs’ linebacker Frank Zombo on a third down-and-10 situation to free running back Derrick Henry for a first down and allow Tennessee to run out the clock.
As wide receiver Eric Decker, recipient of the game-winning touchdown pass, told the media Saturday, “We go as Marcus goes. He has shown his personality the last couple of weeks and how tough he is and how much of a leader he is.”
In recent weeks especially, Mariota has more fully asserted himself willing the Titans to victory. At times he has cast aside the suffocating playbook to run with abandon as if the fractured fibula of the previous December and more recent hamstring and ankle issues had never happened.
Titans center Ben Jones said, “He is a blocker, he is a quarterback. He throws touchdown passes to himself. Marcus is the man.”
Mariota’s third NFL season has surely had its ups and downs, including a career-high 15 interceptions. And he has taken a beating at times with 27 sacks. But when his team has needed him most, when the biggest stakes were in play, Mariota has come through.
It was underlined Saturday in guiding the Titans back from a 21-3 deficit to match the second-largest comeback by a road team in NFL postseason history.
Head coach Mike Mularkey, whose job Mariota might have saved Saturday by the rally from 18 points down, told a press conference, “You know that is another (comeback win by Mariota). Bad half, stays very even keel and doesn’t let it get to him. Just like I said, (he) plays (the) games. He came out and he didn’t do anything different. Didn’t need a pep talk. He knew what he needed to do.”
It was left to Mariota, who termed the comeback, “unbelievable” to sum up what it has meant to the Titans in general and, in a way for himself. “It is what you work hard for. It is what you grind it out for 4-5 months. This isn’t (a final goal), but it was nice to get a win and hopefully we can keep it rolling.”
Just as one who has now solidly stepped into the role of “the franchise” should.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.
