Marcus Mariota vs. Oakland Raiders: 17/37, 218 Yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs
Marcus Mariota is having the typical QB rookie season in the NFL. He has had is ups (Perfect passer rating against the Buccaneers and outplaying Drew Bress in New Orleans) and his downs (Back to back poor games against the Bills and Dolphins) throughout the season. Altogether, his stats show that he is having an overall solid season as he is 19th in yards per game (249.3), 20th in Completion Percentage (62.8), 15th in TDs (16), 14th in Passer Rating (92.8), and has only thrown 8 INTs in 9 games played. His last game against the Oakland Raiders was one of his lows as it was his first game all season that he didn’t complete over 50% of his passes. This was surprising to me as the Raiders have one of the worst pass defense in the league on the surface as they are 29th in passing yards per game allowed (282.7). But the rest of their stats are respectable as they are 14th in Y/A allowed (7.1) and completion percentage (62.6), 16th in TD allowed (19), T-9th in INTs (11), and 15th in passer rating allowed (87.8). This article dives into the film to see why Mariota struggled against an underrated but average Oakland Raiders secondary despite the three touchdown passes. This isn’t going to be a full out criticism of Mariota like previous articles I have written. I want to make this more of an evaluation of what he is doing right and wrong and point out what he should improve on because he is a rookie in his 9th game of his NFL career.
1st Quarter
Pass #1
Situation: 1st and 10 TEN 20
Description: Q1-(15:00) M. Mariota Pass Incomplete Short Left to H. Douglas (D. Autry)
QB Marcus Mariota (#8) does not get much help on this play by his receivers as none of them get open quickly. Mariota’s first read on this five-step drop pass was to TE Craig Stevens (#88) on the curl route. MLB Curtis Lofton (#50) sits on the curl route and takes it away. Mariota does go through his progression and goes to WR Harry Douglas (#83) on the curl as his second read. CB Travis Carrie (#38) is playing off coverage in his Cover 3 deep zone but is not giving Douglas a cushion, leading to Douglas running into him. I’m going to give Mariota the benefit of the doubt here and say he sees that Carrie is going to commit the holding penalty/pass interference on Douglas as Douglas tries to turn on the curl route. Carrie does hold Douglas on the curl so Mariota actually makes a great read here going to Douglas. Mariota tries to drive this ball downwards so Douglas is the only one who can catch a low pass in case the penalty is not called. But he has to try to throw this ball through a wall as DE Denico Autry (#96) on the stunt and DT Justin Ellis (#78) are both in the throwing lane. He gets it over Ellis, but Autry gets his hands in the way to knock the ball down. Mariota’s read is a good one, but his throw selection helps lead to the ball getting tipped at the line of scrimmage. If Mariota just tries to get it in the area with Douglas and throw it over Autry, he is going to get Carrie on the pass interference and pick up the first down. (0/1)
Pass #2
Situation: 3rd and 8 TEN 22
Description: Q1-(14:14) M. Mariota Pass Incomplete Deep Left to K. Wright
WR Kendall Wright (#13) had been out for the last three games with a sprained ankle coming into this game. Combine that with the two games Mariota (#8) missed with a sprained knee and it’s apparent that Mariota and Wright have not had a lot of game time together. This shows on this play as there is a clear miscommunication between Wright and Mariota. Mariota’s first read is to Douglas (#83) on the seam route but CB Neiko Thorpe (#31) has tight coverage and S Charles Woodson (#24) is playing over the top of the seam route. Mariota wisely comes off of his first read and looks at Wright. CB David Amerson (#29) is slow to following Wright on the pre-snap motion so he has a lot of work to do to recover on Wright. Wright sees that Amerson is playing over the top of him in his man coverage so he stops his go route short and goes into a curl route. I don’t think Mariota knows what Wright is going to do when he is looking at Wright’s route as he double clutches before making the throw. With more experience and practice time, this is a first down for the Titans as Mariota hits Wright on the curl route. Instead, Mariota throws like Wright is supposed to keep going on the go route and the ball lands incomplete. Part of what threw off Mariota may have been due to panic about the pass rush. Rookie DE Mario Edwards Jr. (#97) is coming on the stunt from the LDT position and LT Taylor Lewan (#77) doesn’t pick up Edwards till he is in Mariota’s face. The coaches talk to Wright immediately after the play like he was in the wrong but I think Wright made a heads up route break and Mariota and he need experience together to make this route work. (0/2)
Pass #3
Situation: 2nd and 7 TEN 11
Description: Q1-(12:18) M. Mariota Pass Short Right to A. Fasano to TEN 16 for 5 Yards (D. Amerson)
Mariota (#8) only has to go to his first read on this play and makes the right read and throw. The Raiders are in a Cover 3 zone and OLB Malcolm Smith (#53) is responsible for the flat zone. He has to respect the flare route of RB Antonio Andrews (#26) out of the backfield, opening up a hole in the zone coverage. With TE Delanie Walker (#82) occupying Lofton (#50) on his curl route, TE Anthony Fasano (#80) is able to sit in the void in the zone. Mariota’s first read is to Fasano and he doesn’t hesitate to throw it to Fasano to make it 3rd and short. This isn’t a hard read or throw to make, but I like the decisiveness of the throw as he plants and throws as soon as he is at the top of his dropback. (1/3, 5 Yards)
Pass #4
Situation: 3rd and 2 TEN 16
Description: Q1-(11:39) M. Mariota Pass Incomplete Short Middle to K. Wright (T. Carrie)
This is the first pass that scream that Mariota (#8) is a rookie QB in the NFL. Mariota’ first read is to Wright (#13) on the slant route. Carrie (#38) is playing press coverage against Wright and doesn’t give up inside leverage on the slant route. There is nowhere for Mariota to throw this pass to Wright and yet he tries to force the pass in. He throws the pass after he does a double clutch though which shows he isn’t confident in being able to throw a completion to Wright. Mariota will learn as he grows up in the league (hopefully) that if he double clutches on a throw, he should just move on to the next read instead of forcing the ball. If he goes to his next read, he would have seen that Fasano (#80) is open on his slant route as rookie MLB Ben Heeney (#51) is caught watching the QBs eyes and doesn’t follow Fasano on his route. Instead, Mariota tries to force the pass into Wright and Carrie knocks the pass down. (1/4, 5 Yards)
Pass #5
Situation: 1st and 10 TEN 12
Description: Q1-(8:23) M. Mariota Pass Deep Left to D. Walker Pushed Out of Bounds at TEN 48 for 36 Yards (T. Carrie)
While Mariota (#8) does everything right on this play decision making and throw placement, his mechanics on this drop back concern me. After Mariota does the play action fake and turns around, he sets up in the pocket with his body facing where he wants to throw the ball. Safeties already do a good enough job reading the eyes of a QB in the NFL, giving them the whole body is making it too easy. Mariota needs to be at least close to perpendicular to the line of scrimmage at the top of his drop to not give away where he is throwing the ball. Now on to the good things. Mariota’s first read is to Walker (#82) on the deep dig route. I like that he doesn’t look short first to Douglas (#83) on the flare route coming off the play action fake and is looking to attack deep. Loften (#50) doesn’t get any depth in his zone drop (and doesn’t have a clue where Walker is) and with S Nate Allen (#20) having to get depth in his deep middle drop due to the post route of WR Dorial Green-Beckham (#17), there is a big gap for Walker to run into. Mariota does a good job waiting for Walker to get into this hole in the coverage despite Ellis (#78) bearing down on him in the pass rush and throws a great pass to hit Walker on the run for a big gain. His throwing mechanics is off as he threw off his back foot due to the pass rush of Ellis, but he has enough arm strength to get the ball out to Walker. (2/5, 41 Yards)
Pass #6
Situation: 1st and 10 TEN 48
Description: Q1-(7:51) M. Mariota Pass Short Right to H. Douglas Push Out of Bounds at OAK 41 for 11 Yards (T. Carrie)
There isn’t much to talk about here as this play is as simple of a read and throw that Mariota (#8) will have to make in his career. Coming off the play action fake, he bootlegs to his right and has a two man read as Green-Beckham (#17) is running the comeback route and Douglas (#83) runs the arrow route underneath Green-Beckham. Carrie (#38) overcommits to the slant action of Douglas’ arrow route and Douglas is wide open underneath. With Amerson (#29) playing Green-Beckham tight, this is an easy read for Mariota and he makes the right decision to go to Douglas. He makes an accurate throw to Douglas and the Titans pick up a first down. (3/6, 52 Yards)
Pass #7
Situation: 1st and 10 OAK 41
Description: Q1-(7:11) M. Mariota Pass Short Left to D. Walker to OAK 35 for 6 Yards (M. Smith)
I like the courage Mariota (#8) shows under pressure in the pocket and his use of eyes on this play. Mariota is looking off the defense to his right as he does the fake draw handoff before coming to his left in his progression. This is promising to see for a rookie QB as it shows that he is at least working on looking off a defense with his eyes and that with time it may become natural to him. Mariota’s first read is to Walker (#82) on the curl route and it’s the only read that Mariota has time to look at as the pass rush is on top of him quickly. Autry (#96) beats RG Chance Warmack (#70) on the inside move and is in Mariota’s face immediately. Walker is open for Mariota to throw to as he has gotten between Smith (#53) in man coverage and DE Benson Mayowa (#95) in his hook zone coverage. This is partly due to Mariota’s eyes early in the play as he kept Mayowa from drifting to his right in his zone drop. Mariota is again throwing off his back foot due to the pass rush, but he throws a perfect pass to Walker to beat the coverage for a good gain on first down. (4/7, 58 Yards)
Pass #8
Situation: 1st and 10 OAK 20
Description: Q1-(5:58) M. Mariota Pass Deep Middle to C. Stevens for 20 Yards and Touchdown
If I had to pick one play to show that Mariota is going to make it in the NFL, this would be on the list of plays I would consider. Mariota’s primary read is to Stevens (#88) on the seam route but Mariota instead looks at Walker (#82) on the seam route. Woodson (#24) is playing the deep middle and is reading Mariota’s eyes. Woodson slides to his right to take away Walker, opening up the seam route for Stevens. Stevens has beaten Allen (#20) to the inside but Allen is still in decent position to make a play on the ball. Mariota looks back to Stevens, sees an opportunity for a touchdown, and rips it to Stevens. The throw has to fit through a small window and Mariota throws it through that window perfectly as the ball is high and on Steven’s inside shoulder. Stevens is able to tip it to himself for the touchdown and will get the praise for a great catch but without Mariota’s eyes, Stevens never gets a chance to catch this ball. (5/8, 78 yards, 1 TD)
Pass #9
Situation: 3rd and 4 TEN 26
Description: Q1-(0:09) M. Mariota Pass Incomplete Deep Left to H. Douglas. Penalty on TEN-Q. Spain, Offensive Holding, Declined
I honestly think Mariota (#8) is confused on this play as he had open receivers in multiple places. The Raiders are in a Tampa 2 and one of the weaknesses Tampa 2 is the deep outside if the safety is slow getting to the outside. The Titans have a perfect route called against this coverage as Douglas (#83) is running the corner route. He gets behind Thorpe (#31) and outside of Allen (#20) quickly and is open for a big gain. Mariota doesn’t wait for Douglas to open up and instead looks back to his right to the dig route of Green-Beckham. This is not going to be open against a Tampa 2 and Woodson (#24) is sitting on the dig route. If Mariota isn’t going to throw it to Douglas, he should have looked at the slant route of Wright (#13) or the arrow route of Walker (#82) and find the hole in the zone. Wright ends up being open in the middle of the field for a first down as Heeney (#51) is bailing to the deep middle and Smith (#53) expands into his hook coverage. Mariota never sees it though and instead holds the ball waiting for Green-Beckham to open up. By the time he looks away from Green-Beckham, the pass rush is on him as Edwards Jr. (#97) has beaten LG Quinton Spain (#60) on a rip move and forces Mariota to flush out to his left. Mayowa (#95) chases Mariota and forces him to throw the ball away. If Mariota is more patient on his read to Douglas or goes through his progression from left to right, this play would have been a first down. Instead, he looked confused and cost his team a first down. (5/9, 78 Yards, 1 TD)
For the 2nd Quarter throws, click on the next page
2nd Quarter
Pass #10
Situation: 1st and 10 TEN 36
Description: Q2-(13:28) M. Mariota Pass Short Middle to K. Wright to TEN 48 for 12 Yards (S. McGee; M. Smith)
There are good and bad things on this play by Mariota (#8). The good is the decisiveness of his throw. Mariota’s first read coming off the play action fake is to Wright (#13) on the slant route. Wright has Allen (#20) covering him in man coverage and this is a complete mismatch. Allen is bailing in his man coverage to respect Wright’s speed and Wright is wide open on the slant when he makes his cut. Mariota sees this and throws the ball as soon as he is at the top of his drop with accuracy for a first down. The negative is his mechanics again. Mariota on many of his throws at this point in the game is leaning backwards as he is making the throw. A lot of this is the pass rush has been in his face but on this pass he has a clean pocket but still is leaning backwards during his follow through. Mariota isn’t known for having the strongest of arms and it was one of his knocks going into the draft when compared to Winston and his cannon. Mariota’s accuracy when throwing like this is impressive and his release is lightning fast, but if he wants to be able to make a throw with zip on it, he is going to need to start getting his momentum going forward when he makes a throw. (6/10, 90 Yards, 1 TD)
Pass #11
Situation: 2nd and 10 TEN 48
Description: Q2-(12:10) M. Mariota Pass Short Right to D. Walker to OAK 47 for 5 Yards (M. Smith)
I don’t know how Mariota (#8) has any accuracy on his throws at times. Mariota’s first read is to Green-Beckham (#17) on the slant route to his left. While Green-Beckham beats Carrie (#38) to the inside, Edwards Jr. (#97) drops into coverage from the line of scrimmage and gets underneath the slant route. When Mariota comes back to his second read on the right (Walker (#82) on the curl), Lofton (#50) is coming on the blitz unblocked (Thanks to RT Byron Bell (#76) not seeing him on the blitz) and is on top of Mariota. Walker is open because Smith (#53) has a long way to come from on his man coverage so Mariota does have his release valve to throw it to. What I don’t understand is how Mariota is able to generate that much velocity and accuracy on the ball when jumping backward on the throw to avoid Lofton. Most QBs would have taken the hit while planting and throwing but Mariota’s elite athleticism for a QB shows off as he avoids the hit and gets the completion. He makes the right read and throw on the play, but how he does it is not the way any QB is taught how to do it. (7/11, 95 Yards, 1 TD)
Pass #12
Situation: 3rd and 5 OAK 47
Description: Q2-(11:25) M. Mariota Pass Incomplete Short Right to H. Douglas (D. Amerson)
Mariota (#8) shows off the athleticism the scouts salivated over on this play, but he also did quite a few things wrong. Mariota’s first read is to Walker (#82) on the flare route. Mariota doesn’t show the decisiveness that he showed before in the game as he had Walker open due to Carrie (#38) being occupied by the deep curl route of Fasano (#80). Mariota waits too long on this route, giving time for Carrie to get off of Fasano and into the flat zone he is responsible for. A quick throw to Walker is likely a first down but by the time Mariota is ready to throw the ball, Carrie would have gotten a pick six on any attempted throw. Mariota wisely comes off of Walker and goes to Fasano as he next read. Before Fasano opens up, Autry (#96) has split Bell (#76) and Spain (#60) and is in Mariota’s face. Mariota does a great job dodging Autry and rolls out to his right to try to find someone open. Rookie RB David Cobb (#23) is open underneath as soon as Mariota rolls to his right and a pass to him gives the Titans a chance for a first down. Mariota doesn’t even look at Cobb and instead looks at Fasano and Douglas (#83). This ends up being a mistake as both of them are well covered though as Allen (#20) has Fasano and Amerson (#29) is in tight coverage on Douglas. Douglas does get a little separation on Amerson when he breaks his route in the scramble drill, but Mariota is way too late in trying to throw to him. By the time Mariota throws it to Douglas, Amerson has recovered and makes a break on the ball. Mariota had multiple throws to get a potential first down (Walker, Cobb, and maybe Amerson) but he lacked the decisiveness and timing to make the throw needed for the first down. (7/12, 95 Yards, 1 TD)
Pass #13
Sitatuon: 2nd and 14 OAK 36
Description: Q2-(10:43) M. Mariota Pass Short Middle to H. Douglas to OAK 31 for 5 Yards (M. Smith)
Mariota (#8) does everything right on this play. Mariota’s first read is Wright’s (#13) corner route on the right side of the field. Carrie (#38) does a good job dropping underneath the route and with Amerson over the top of it in his Cover 3 deep drop, Mariota doesn’t have a throw to get it to Wright. Mariota then comes back to his left and goes to Douglas (#83) on the slant route. Douglas finds the hole in the zone in between S Taylor Mays (#27) (who has to respect the flare route of Cobb (#23)) and Smith (#53) who drifted left due to Mariota looking left initially. Mariota sees Douglas open and makes the right read and throw on second down. (8/13, 100 Yards, 1 TD)
Pass #14
Situation: 3rd and 9 OAK 31
Description: Q2-(9:58) M. Mariota Sacked at OAK 37 for -6 Yards (K. Mack)
Mariota (#8) doesn’t get any help from his receivers on this play as no one gets open for the Titans for a long time. What is worrying though on this play is Mariota locks on to one WR and doesn’t look off of Wright’s (#13) post route for most of the play. Carrie (#38) is on Wright’s hip the whole way and Thorpe (#31) peels off of Walker (#82) and brackets Wright. There is nowhere to Mariota to throw this ball to Wright and Mariota has to at least go through his progression and see if anyone else is open. By the time he comes off of Wright and looks at Fasano, DE/OLB Khalil Mack (#52) has beaten Bell (#76) and is putting the pressure on Mariota. Mariota tries to escape Mack by putting his head down and scrambling out of the pocket, but Mack chases him down for the sack. If Mariota keeps his head up though when scrambling, he would have seen that Cobb had finally opened up on an in route out of the backfield by beating Smith (#53) to the inside. If Mariota drops it off to Cobb, at worst the Titans have a shorter field goal. Instead, Mariota takes the sack and knocks the Titans out of field goal range.
Pass #15
Situation: 1st and 10 TEN 26
Description: Q2-(0:55) M. Mariota Pass Deep Right to D. Green-Beckham to TEN 48 for 22 Yards (C. Woodson; M. Smith)
I love how Mariota (#8) opens up Green-Beckham’s (#17) post route on this play. Mariota is looking to his left initially and is staring at the curl route of Walker (#82). Mays (#27) is sitting on the curl route in his hook zone, giving Mariota nowhere to throw to Walker. Mariota also sees that hs has moved Smith (#53) to his right, opening up a hole in the Tampa 2 zone for Green-Beckham to get into with Woodson (#24) bailing deep in his deep coverage and Carrie (#38) getting minimal depth on his hook zone coverage. Mariota whips his eyes to Green-Beckham and makes a great decisive read going to Green-Beckham. His mechanics is also on point and because of this, he is able to throw the ball with a lot of zip. He places the ball in the hole in the zone and gives Green-Beckham the opportunity to pick up yards after the catch. Mariota looks like a seasoned pro on this play. (9/14, 122 Yards, 1 TD)
Pass #16
Situation: 1st and 10 TEN 48
Description: Q2-(0:33) M. Mariota Pass Short Right to D. Walker to OAK 43 for 9 Yards (T. Mays)
I almost don’t believe that Mariota (#8) even saw Walker (#82) before throwing this pass. Mariota’s first read is to Green-Beckham (#17) on the go route. With Amerson (#29) sitting on Green-Beckham’s hip and Woodson (#24) getting over the top of the go route, Mariota has no chance to make this throw. Walker is the next read for Mariota and he does get open as he gets Mays (#27) on his back when he makes his break. Mariota must have seen Walker out of the corner of his eye as he doesn’t even turn to look at Walker before throwing the ball to Walker. This is a good read and he throws it with decent timing (it’s a little late) and good accuracy for the completion. I am impressed with his field of vision and how he could see Walker out of the corner of his eye and trust his read without taking a good look at Walker first. (10/15, 131 Yards, 1 TD)
Pass #17
Situation: 3rd and 1 OAK 43
Description: Q2-(0:17) M. Mariota Pass Incomplete Short Middle to K. Wright
Mariota (#8) has Wright (#13) for a first down but his hesitation throws him off. Mariota’s first read on this play is to Wright on the slant route. Wright has beaten Carrie (#38) to the inside and is open for a first down. It is a tight window to throw the pass into for Mariota and he hesitates before making the pass and double clutches. If Mariota isn’t confident in making the pass, he should have gotten off of Wright and gone to his next read. Instead, he tries to throw too careful of a pass and misses Wright to the inside. Mariota needs to show the confidence that he showed on first and second down and trust what he sees when the pressure is on. He is 0/6 on 3rd down at this point of the game and all his incompletions but two have been on third down. He is too worried about making a big mistake on the big down and freezes up. (10/17, 131 Yards, 1 TD)
*Note: Before this play, Mariota spiked the ball and was not included in the article
Pass #18
Situation: 4th and 1 OAK 43
Description: Q2-(0:13) M. Mariota Pass Incomplete Short Right to D. Walker (T. Mays)
Mariota’s timing on his throw is off by half a second and it costs the Titans a first down. Mariota is reading the Go-Out route combination of Douglas (#83) and Walker (#82) respectively. Douglas is well covered by Amerson (#29) on the go route but Walker gets a bit of separation against Mays (#27) as Mays is bailing in his man coverage. Mariota should have thrown it as soon as Walker gets to the cut in his route and beat the break by Mays on the throw. Instead he throws it late, allowing Mays to make a break on the ball. Mariota’s accuracy also hurts him as he throws the ball slightly behind Walker. If the ball is thrown to the outside of Walker, Mays has no chance to break up this pass and Walker picks up the first down. Instead, the poor timing and mediocre accuracy of the ball gives Mays a chance to break up the pass and he takes advantage of it. If Mariota wasn’t ready to throw the ball with that quick of timing, he should have come back to his right and see that Green-Beckham (#17) had gotten separation on Thorpe (#31) on the slant route and is open for the first down. (10/18, 131 Yards, 1 TD)
For the 3rd Quarter passes, click on the next page
3rd Quarter
Pass #19
Situation: 1st and 10 TEN 20
Description: Q3-(10:45) M. Mariota Pass Incomplete Short Right to H. Douglas (D. Amerson)
Mariota (#8) cannot afford to have his passes dropped like this if he going to be a successful NFL quarterback. Mariota’s first read coming off the play action fake is to Douglas (#83) on the comeback route. Amerson (#29) is right on Douglas’s hip, but an outside and short throw is possible to Douglas if Mariota throws the ball with good timing. Mariota throws the pass with great timing as he throws the ball right before Douglas is out of his break. The pass location is also excellent as it is to Douglas’s outside shoulder and low. A great throw will beat good coverage every time and Mariota’s throw is great here. Douglas just lets the ball slip through his hands for the incompletion and Mariota deserves much better after throwing this pass. (10/19, 131 Yards, 1 TD)
Pass #20
Situation: 2nd and 10 TEN 20
Description: Q3-(10:38) M. Mariota Incomplete Pass Deep Right to H. Douglas. Penalty on OAK-T. Carrie, Defensive Pass Interference, 14 Yards, Enforced at TEN 20 - No Play
First and second down Mariota (#8) is a different QB than third down Mariota in this game. Mariota’s first read is to Douglas (#83) on the seam route and he sees that Douglas has beaten Carrie (#38) with a quick outside move. Mariota makes the right read in going to Douglas as there is no safety help over the top (The Raiders are in Cover 1) and Carrie is already a step behind. It is impossible to say if Mariota’s pass was in the right location due to the pass interference of Carrie, but I like how decisive he was in the throw (he got the ball out of his hand at the top of his drop) and his idea of throwing it to Douglas’s outside because Carrie is inside of Douglas.
Pass #21
Situation: 1st and 10 TEN 34
Description: Q3-(10:34) M. Mariota Pass Incomplete Deep Left to K. Wright (D. Amerson)
It’s tough to determine if this slightly underthrown pass by Mariota (#8) is due to a lack of arm strength, the pass rush bearing down on him, or the driving downpour. Mariota comes off of the play action fake and his first read is to Wright (#13) on the out and up route. As soon as Amerson (#29) breaks on what he thinks is an out route, Mariota knows he has Wright for a big gain and gets ready to throw the pass. As he is about to throw the pass, Ellis gets around C Andy Gallik (#69) and is right in the face of Mariota. Mariota, to his credit, does not flinch with the pressure in his face, steps into the throw, and takes the big hit when he makes the throw to Wright. The pass is slightly underthrown though and a great diving play by Amerson knocks the pass away from Wright. The decision-making process by Mariota on this play is on point, but his throw wasn’t good enough. (10/20, 131 Yards, 1 TD)
Pass #22
Situation: 3rd and 5 TEN 39
Description: Q3-(9:42) M. Mariota Pass Incomplete Short Right to A. Fasano [K. Mack]. Penalty on OAK-T. Carrie, Defensive Holding, 5 Yards, Enforced at TEN 39 - No Play
This is the first third down pass by Mariota (#8) that I felt comfortable with while watching the tape. Mariota’s first read on this play is to Green-Beckham (#17) on the deep curl route. Thrope (#31) has great positioning though as he is on Green-Beckham’s inside hip and Mariota has nowhere to throw the ball. Mariota gets off his read quickly though (he was delayed looking downfield due to the poor snap), which is a departure from his previous 3rd down throws. He goes through his progression and sees that Fasano (#80) has gotten Mays (#27) behind his inside hip and is open to an outside throw on the curl. Mariota makes the right read in throwing to Fasano and is accuracy is good enough as the ball ends up being to the outside of Fasano. This isn’t the easiest catch for Fasano to make as Fasano has to extend for the ball, but he should make this catch. Instead, he drops the pass and the Titans gets bailed out by a holding call on Carrie (#38) against Walker (#82). Mariota did his job on third down for the first time all game.
Pass #23
Situation: 1st and 10 OAK 45
Description: Q3-(8:55) M. Mariota Scrambles Right End Pushed Out of Bounds at OAK 38 for 7 Yards (K. Mack)
This is a really hard play to judge Mariota (#8) on. On one hand, Mariota’s first read gets open late as Green-Beckham (#17) gets open on the go route because Carrie (#38) lets Green-Beckham get even with him before transitioning out of his backpedal and Woodson (#24) jumps the dig route of Walker (#82). If Mariota is able to buy enough time in the pocket for Green-Beckham to get open, Mariota has his second touchdown pass. On the other hand, the pass rush from the Raiders is on him pretty quickly as DE Shelby Harris (#75) splits Gallik (#69) and Spain (#60) and flushes Mariota to his right. Mariota is drifting away from Green-Beckham and a throw to Green-Beckham may have taken more arm strength then Mariota has (especially with the rain). Mariota scrambling away from the pressure was the safe play for sure and he does get a good gain on first down, but it may not have been the ideal play from him to make. With a rookie QB, the safe play is usually the best play so Mariota wasn’t exactly wrong to scramble. But he missed a great opportunity to throw a game-changing pass.
Pass #24
Situation: 1st and 10 OAK 33
Description: Q3-(7:48) M. Mariota Pass Deep Left to A. Fasano to OAK 16 for 17 Yards (C. Woodson)
The weather has to have thrown this pass off for Mariota (#8). Mariota’s first read coming off the play action fake is to Fasano (#80) on the corner route. Both Lofton (#50) and Mayowa (#95) bite on the play action fake and Fasano is wide open to the deep outside due to Carrie (#38) running with the go route of Douglas (#83). Mariota sees this and quickly makes the right decision to throw the ball to Fasano. Mariota tries to throw this ball with touch, but it must have slipped out of his hand slightly as the pass is a duck to Fasano. Fasano is able to get underneath the ball to make the catch but if this pass is thrown on target, Fasano has a chance for a touchdown. (11/21, 148 Yards, 1 TD)
Pass #25
Situation: 2nd and 7 OAK 13
Description: Q3-(6:27) M. Mariota Pass Short Left to H. Douglas for 13 Yards and Touchdown. Penalty on OAK-N. Thorpe, Defensive Pass Interference, Declined
It’s hard to be critical of a quarterback for a TD pass, but Mariota’s (#8) throw is off on this play. Mariota’s first read is to Douglas (#83) on the go route. Douglas runs a great route as he gets Thrope (#31) to bite on the fake hitch route and blows by him. Mariota makes the right read to got to Douglas, but he gets somewhat lucky with this pass. Mariota throws this pass with a lot of touch, but this isn’t the right type of throw this close to the end zone. He needs to throw this ball with a lot of zip instead and rifle it in Douglas. Instead, the ball floats and Douglas has to slow down on his route to catch the pass. This allows Thrope to catch up to Douglas, but lucky for Mariota, Thrope runs into Douglas clumsily and Douglas is able to keep concentration for the catch. If Mariota is going to throw this ball with touch, he needs to throw this pass earlier and let Douglas run underneath the pass (12/22, 161 Yards, 2 TDs)
Pass #26
Situation: Two Point Conversion Attempt
Description: M. Mariota Pass to D. Green-Beckham is Complete. Attempt Succeeds
Mariota (#8) is very comfortable out of the pocket and it shows on this two point conversion. Mariota is running a bootleg pass and has an outside to inside progression in his reads. His first read is to Douglas (#83) on the out route. While Douglas gets separation from Amerson (#29) to the outside, Amerson is not that far from Douglas and can make a play on a poor throw. Mariota doesn’t try to throw a tough pass and instead goes through his progression. Andrew (#26) has no guarantee to get the conversion on this play as Woodson (#24) is shadowing him from the safety position, but Green-Beckham (#17) has beaten Thrope (#31) on the backside dig and is open in the back of the end zone. Mariota gets to Green-Beckham and makes the right decision to throw the pass. Mariota’s tendency to throw touch passes works to his advantage as he is able to throw it over the LBs and hit Green-Beckham in the chest for a successful conversion.
Pass #27
Situation: 1st and 10 OAK 18
Description: Q3-(6:13) M. Mariota Sacked at OAK 25 for -7 Yards (K. Mack)
I think Mariota (#8) is trying to pull off the same trick he did on his first touchdown pass of the game. Mariota is staring at Walker (#82) on the seam route, but his real intention is to throw back to Fasano (#80) like he did on the touchdown to Stevens. Woodson (#24) is a wily old veteran though and does not fall for the same trick again as he stays between Walker and Fasano. Mariota tries to get him to bite on a pump fake, but Woodson isn’t biting and takes away both seams route. Mariota will hopefully learn as he develops in the league that good veteran players are not going to fall for the same trick over and over again. He should have seen that Woodson wasn’t going to flow with his eyes and instead look at either of his curl routes. The Raiders are in a Cover 3 and Douglas (#83) is open on the curl route as Carrie (#38) is bailing in his deep coverage and Allen (#20) doesn’t get out to the flat because of the seam route of Walker, If Mariota sees this, he throws it out to Douglas on the curl before the pass rush gets there. Instead, he tries to make the seam route to Fasano work for too long and allows for Mack (#52) to beat the bad cut block of Bell (#76) and get the sack.
Pass #28
Siutation: 2nd and 17 OAK 25
Description: Q3-(5:30) M. Mariota Pass Short Middle to D. Walker to OAK 17 for 8 Yards (T. Mays)
I like how Mariota (#8) is going through his progression over and over again in this game. Mariota’s first read is the go route of Green-Beckham (#17) on the right. The Raiders are in a Tampa 2 and Woodson (#24) gets more outside in his deep half drop to take away the go route. Mariota makes the right decision to move on from Green-Beckham and go back to his left. He looks at Douglas (#83) first and sees that Mack (#52) has dropped underneath the curl route. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees that Ellis (#78) is following his eyes in coverage and has left Walker (#82) open underneath on his curl route. Without taking his time to look at Walker, he takes advantage of Ellis in coverage and throws it past him to Walker for the completion. Mariota’s field of vision can be very impressive at times and he shows it off on this play (13/23, 169 Yards, 2 TDs)
Pass #29
Situation: 3rd and 9 OAK 17
Description: Q3-(4:51) M. Mariota Pass Short Left to D. Walker to OAK 5 for 12 Yards (T. Mays). Penalty on TEN-D. Walker, Offensive Pass Interference, 10 Yards, Enforced at OAK 17 - No Play
Mariota (#8) does exactly what you want a quarterback to do on third down. Mariota’s first read is to Wright (#13) on the go route on the left side of the field. While Wright does get past Thorpe (#31) in man coverage, Allen (#20) is lurking in his deep half of the field and would be able to make a play on any pass to Wright. Mariota sees Allen in the area and goes to his next read. Walker (#82) is wide open on the curl route due to him knocking over Mays (#27) (and committing pass interference) so Mariota decides to go to Walker. This is the right read and he makes the easy pass for a first down if it wasn’t for the pass interference call.
Pass #30
Situation: 3rd and 19 OAK 27
Description: Q3-(4:21) M. Mariota Pass Short Right Intended to K. Wright Intercepted by D. Amerson at OAK 19. D. Amerson to OAK 21 for 2 Yards (K. Wright)
Mariota (#8) thinks he is seeing man coverage by Amerson (#29) on this play when in reality the Raiders are playing a Tampa 2 coverage. Mariota sees that Amerson is initially running with Douglas (#83) on the go route and has his back turned to him. Mariota assumes that Amerson is going to continue running with Douglas and sees that Carrie (#38) has not followed Wright (#13) on the out route. Mariota thinks he has a wide open out route that will make the field goal attempt by K Ryan Succop easier in the messy weather. Instead, Amerson stops following Douglas and passes him off to Woodson (#24) in deep coverage. Amerson does not have to move to make this interception and Mariota immediately regrets the throw once Amerson turns around. Mariota should have known that Amerson wasn’t going to go deep with Douglas as soon as he saw Carrie was not running with Wright and come back to his right to see Green-Beckham open underneath on the crossing route. (13/24, 169 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT)
Pass #31
Situation: 1st and 10 TEN 12
Description: Q3-(0:30) M. Mariota Pass Incomplete Deep Right to D. Green-Beckham (D. Amerson)
This is a designed shot play to Green-Beckham (#17) so there isn’t much of a read for Mariota (#8) to make. All Mariota is trying to do is to keep Woodson (#24) from roaming to his left before he throws it to Green-Beckham. Mariota’s throw to Green-Beckham is good as it was going to hit Green-Beckham right in the bread basket. Amerson (#29) is behind Green-Beckham by a half step but makes a great play to track and knock the ball down for an incompletion. You could argue that Mariota needed to throw this ball more to the outside to avoid Amerson but this one of those plays where great defense wins the day. (13/25, 169 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT)
On a side note, Amerson leads the Raider in passes defended. The Redskins (and the founder of this website) are likely going “where was this Amerson when he was with us?”
For the 4th Quarter passes, click on the next page
4th Quarter
Pass #32
Situation: 3rd and 9 TEN 13
Description: Q4-(15:00) M. Mariota Pass Incomplete Short Right to D. Green-Beckham
Mariota (#8) needs to move quicker through his progression faster on this play. His first read is to Walker (#82) on the curl route. Walker is bracketed by Carrie (#38) and Allen (#20) though so Mariota should have abandoned this read quickly and moved on with his progression. Instead, he waits till Walker is about to go into his break of the curl route. This throws off the timing of most of his other potential throws as both Douglas (#83) and Green-Beckham (#17) are running curl routes as well. If Mariota moves quickly to Douglas in the middle of the field, he would have seen an opportunity for a completion as Thrope (#31) is outside and downfield of Douglas. An inside throw with good timing is a completion for a first down. When Mariota comes off of Walker, he goes to Green-Beckham who has Amerson on his back to the inside. Mariota does make a good read in trying to go to Green-Beckham and tries to make the right pass as he throws it low and to the outside. Mariota doesn’t get enough on the pass and Green-Beckham isn’t able to get underneath the pass after he slips on his break. This should have been a first down for the Titans, but a delayed progression and poor throw by Mariota cost the Titans. (13/26, 169 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT)
Pass #33
Situation: 2nd and 8 TEN 29
Description: Q4-(12:09) M. Mariota Pass Incomplete Short Right to D. Cobb [D. Williams]
Mariota (#8) has nowhere to go with this pass and makes the right choice to dump it off to Cobb (#23). Mariota comes off the play action fake and is reading the corner route of Wright (#13). The Raiders are in a Cover 2 and Woodson (#24) plays over the top of Wright, taking away the corner route. Mariota then looks back to his other option deep (Green-Beckham (#17) on the dig route) but Smith (#53) has dropped underneath the dig route and Mariota quickly looks to dump the ball of to Cobb. This is the right decision as Cobb is the only one open, but Mariota’s pass is made much harder by the pass rush. Gallik (#69) is getting pushed backwards by the bull rush of DT Dan Williams (#90) and Williams has gotten outside leverage on Gallik. This wouldn’t be a problem if it wasn’t for Ellis (#78) splitting Lewan (#77) and Spain (#60) which forces Mariota to his right. Mariota could have stepped up in the pocket to get behind Ellis and Williams but this is asking a lot of a QB and the natural reaction for most QBs would be to drift to their right. Mariota doesn’t throw a great pass as it is behind Cobb but Cobb should have caught this for a decent gain. Instead, Cobb bobbles the pass and Mack (#52) almost comes up with the interception. (13/27, 169 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT)
Pass #34
Situation: 3rd and 8 TEN 29
Description: Q4-(12:02) M. Mariota Pass Incomplete Short Middle to D. Green-Beckham (D. Amerson)
This is the first pass by Mariota (#8) that gets away from him high. Mariota’s first read is to Walker (#82) on the curl route. The Raiders again bracket him in coverage as both Mays (#27) and Allen (#20) are focused on him. Mariota has learned from his previous experience though as he gets off of Walker quickly. He looks to his right and sees the Green-Beckham (#17) has gotten inside leverage on Amerson (#29) and is going to be open on the dig route. Mariota doesn’t stare Green-Beckham though and takes a quick look to his left to try to get Woodson (#24) to not jump the dig route. Woodson is playing well off in his deep middle coverage so this fake out by Mariota may not matter, but I like the veteran moxie he shows. The read by Mariota is spot on, but his mechanics let him down. Mariota doesn’t step into his throw and is leaning backwards on the follow through. This causes the ball to float and Green-Beckham cannot climb the ladder to make a catch. (13/28, 169 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT)
Pass #35
Situation: 2nd and 11 OAK 43
Description: Q4-(8:17) M. Mariota Pass Incomplete Short Left to A. Andrews (M. Smith)
This is a designed swing pass to Andrews (#26) with Fasano (#80) as a lead blocker. There is nothing to talk about for Mariota (#8) and Fasano’s whiff on the block on Smith (#53) is what messes up this play. (13/29, 169 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT)
Pass #36
Situation: 3rd and 11 OAK 43
Description: Q4-(8:12) M. Mariota Pass Short Middle to A. Andrews to OAK 29 for 14 Yards (M. Smith)
There is one thing Mariota (#8) doesn’t have and that is tunnel vision. Mariota is looking at Douglas (#83) on the go route for his first read. Amerson (#29) is playing off in his man cover which means that Douglas is not going to get open till late in his route. While Mariota is waiting for this route to open up, Andrews (#26) opens up on the circle route out of the backfield as Smith (#53) gives up inside leverage in his man coverage. Mariota sees Andrews open up in his field of vision and dumps it off to Andrews instead of waiting for Douglas. This is a good read by Mariota as it is better to get the first down with an easy throw underneath then a more difficult throw deep. (14/30, 183 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT)
Pass #37
Situation: 2nd and 8 OAK 27
Description: Q4-(6:50) M. Mariota Pass Short Middle to K. Wright to OAK 20 for 7 Yards (B. Heeney)
I don’t know how Mariota (#8) could see Wright (#13) open up in the middle of the field on the curl route. Mariota is looking to his right at Douglas (#83) running the curl route. Douglas does open up due to Carrie (#38) carrying the wheel route of Walker (#82) underneath and Amerson playing deep in the Cover 3 but Mariota somehow saw that Wright has split Heeney (#51) and Smith (#53) with his curl route out of the corner of his eyes. Mariota doesn’t even take a peak at Wright directly before throwing a pass right into Wright’s chest for a good chunk of yards. Either throw to Douglas or Wright would have been a good decision, but Mariota takes the easier throw in the middle of the field instead of trying to throw the ball to the sidelines. (15/31, 190 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT)
Pass #38
Situation: 2nd and Goal OAK 8
Description: Q4-(4:59) M. Mariota Pass Incomplete Short Right to C. Stevens
Mariota (#8) gets spooked on this play and bails out of the pocket too quickly. His first read on this play is to Fasano (#80) on the pop pass but Smith (#53) jumps the route and carries it to the end zone. While he is looking at Fasano, he sees that Ellis (#78) is starting to get past Spain (#60) on the pass rush. Instead of waiting in the pocket and going through his progression till the last moment, he takes off to his right. The Titans have no one running a route to the right so Mariota has nowhere to throw the ball and has to throw it away as Mack (#52) is bearing down on him. If he waits in the pocket, he would have seen Douglas (#83) running the crossing route against Lofton (#50). This is a complete mismatch and Douglas is open underneath for a touchdown. Mariota bailing to his right though takes away this throws and dooms the play (15/32, 190 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT)
Pass #39
Situation: 3rd and Goal OAK 8
Description: Q4-(4:51) M. Mariota Pass Incomplete Short Left to H. Douglas. Penalty on OAK-N. Thorpe, Defensive Pass Interference, 7 Yards, Enforced at OAK 8 - No Play
This is one of the few times that a touch throw is a right idea in the red zone. Mariota’s (#8) first and only read is to Douglas (#83) on the post route. Douglas has inside leverage as soon as the play begins as Thorpe (#31) has lined up with outside leverage and Douglas is able to get him on his back. Mays (#27) is sitting underneath the route though so Mariota has to loft it over Mays to get a completion to Douglas. Mariota does this and makes the correct touch pass to Douglas in the back of the end zone. The ball may have been overthrown, but it is impossible to tell as Thrope commits the pass interference on Douglas and the Titans get a first and goal.
Pass #40
Situation: 1st and Goal OAK 1
Description: Q4-(4:46) M. Mariota Pass Short Right to J. Fowler for 1 Yard and Touchdown
This is an impressive throw by Mariota considering he was falling backwards and throwing against his momentum Mariota’s first read is to Walker (#82) on the flare route. Both Mack (#52) and Smith (#53) follow Walker on the flare route which leaves Rookie FB Jalston Fowler (#45) open as he leaks out of the backfield. Mariota sees this out of the corner of his eye, but this is not an easy throw as Autry (#96) is bearing down on Mariota due to Gallik (#69) whiffing on the block. Mariota has to keep fading on his roll out and he buys himself enough time to throw it over Autry and get it close enough to Fowler for the touchdown. Mariota’s athleticism shines here as a less mobile QB is either throwing this ball away or not able to buy himself enough time to make this pass to Fowler. (16/33, 191 Yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT)
Pass #41
Situation: 1st and 10 TEN 20
Description: Q4-(1:21) M. Mariota Pass Incomplete Short Left to D. Walker (M. Smith)
I honestly think Smith (#53) should have been called for holding on this play as he is holding on to Walker’s jersey past five yards but Mariota needs to make a better throw. Mariota’s (#8) first read is to Douglas (#83) on the post route. This is a long-developing route and Thrope (#31) gives Douglas troubles with the initial jam. Mariota doesn’t have time to wait for Douglas to get open though as Mack (#52) and Edwards Jr. (#97) are trying to meet at Mariota on the pass rush. Mariota does a great job stepping up in the pocket to avoid the sack and looks at Walker (#82) underneath the dig route as he is scrambling. Smith is holding on to Walker from behind, but Walker is a big body so Mariota trust Walker to fight for this catch. The pass is not placed accurately though as it is placed over Walker’s shoulder and allows Smith to make a play on the ball. If he throws it into Walker’s gut, Smith has no chance to knock the ball down and the Titans pick up some yards on first down. (16/34, 191 Yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT)
Pass #42
Situation: 2nd and 10 TEN 20
Description: Q4-(1:15) M. Mariota Pass Incomplete Short Right to H. Douglas
Mariota (#8) needs to get help from Douglas (#83) on this play as he throws a perfect pass. Mariota’s only read on this play is to Douglas on the curl route. Amerson (#29) is in great position as he is on Douglas’s inside hip, but Mariota sees an opportunity to beat Amerson to the outside since Amerson has his back to him. Mariota throws this pass with perfect timing (before Douglas is out of his break) and puts it to the outside to beat Amerson. Douglas needs to see that Amerson is on his inside hip and turn to the outside as he should know that Matriota is going to throw this ball to his outside shoulder. Douglas turns to his inside though and cannot adjust to the pass fast enough to make a catch. (16/35, 191 Yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT)
Pass #43
Situation: 3rd and 10 TEN 20
Description: Q4-(1:10) M. Mariota Pass Deep Middle to D. Walker to TEN 47 for 27 Yards (T. Carrie)
Mariota (#8) has eye fake down as this is not his first time moving the safety with his eyes. His first read is to Walker (#82) on the post route but he doesn’t look at Walker initially and is instead looking to his left. Allen (#20) drifts to his right due to Mariota’s eyes, opening up the middle of the field for Walker to move into. Smith (#53) cannot keep up with Walker on the post route and once Mariota looks back to his right he sees Walker has a step on Smith. Mariota makes the right read going to Walker and he drives the pass into Walker’s chest for the big gain. (17/36, 218 Yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT)
Pass #44
Situation: 1st and 10 TEN 47
Description: Q4-(0:50) M. Mariota Pass Deep Left Intended to D. Green-Beckham Intercepted by N. Allen at OAK 31. N. Allen to OAK 36 for 5 Yards (D. Green-Beckham)
I don’t know what Mariota (#8) is seeing on this play. Mariota is looking to his left and has to see that Thorpe (#31) is bailing in his coverage as he is responsible for the deep outside third. Green-Beckham (#17) sees this and stops his route short to get open on the sideline for a first down. Mariota must have expected that Green-Beckham or Douglas (#83) were going to continue on their routes and tries to throw it deep. This is a poor decision even if either Douglas of Green-Beckham go deep as both Allen (#20) and Thrope(#31) are going to break up this pass or get an interception. Mariota should have thrown it short to Green-Beckham instead of forcing it deep and getting it picked off by Allen. This is a rookie mistake and it costs his team a chance to at least ties the game. (17/37, 218 Yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs)
Overall Impressions
Marcus Mariota doesn’t look like a rookie when watching the film. His mental game is better then some multi-year veterans at QB already (looking at you Nick Foles). He goes through his progression on a regular basis and will look at multiple routes before making the throw. He will occasionally use his eyes to move the safety and is able to open up receivers by looking off the defense at times. His field of vision is impressive at times and he is able to process information from the corner of his eye effectively. He also shows decisiveness on his throws and a quick trigger during long stretches of the game. But he is still prone to rookie mistakes/issues. His first interception was him misreading the coverage completely and he was not on the same page with his WRs multiple times throughout the game. In the first half, he let the third down pressure get to him as he was unsure/indecisive on his throws and was slow going through his progression. He also showed where he was throwing with his body facing the direction of the pass before the throw occasionally and he needs to clean that up. What Mariota has to focus on as he grows up in his career is his mechanics and throw selection. Mariota is leaning/falling backwards on his throws far too often and this prevents him from driving his throws. He needs to focus on stepping into the throw and firing it when needed. When he does step into the throw, he does get some good velocity on the ball. He doesn’t have a cannon but with the right mechanics he could make all the throws needed in the NFL. If he keeps falling backwards on his throws, it’s going to limit what he could as a QB. Mariota is also in love with the touch pass. I don’t blame him; it’s one of the prettiest looking throws in the NFL and it’s a very catchable ball. But he also needs to use the fastball that he can fire into the tight window. This will come with experience and time. His pocket presence and ability to drop back from under center were questioned going into the draft, but he looked comfortable in the pocket most of the game and didn’t have major issues dropping back from under center. Saying all that, Mariota was better than the numbers said he was. His receivers did him no favors throughout the game and he should have had at least five more completions at the end of the game. He also drew multiple penalties with his throws and those don’t count in the stat sheet. Weather also has to be considered as well as the second half was a soggy mess.
I think Mariota has a bright future because his mental game can be one of the best in the league in a few years and his field of vision is great. Those are some of the hardest things to teach a QB and Mariota seems to be grasping these lessons quickly. The mechanics need to be fixed, but Mariota is going to have a full offseason to work on it. He already is a middle of the pack QB and that is all you can ask for with a rookie QB. Winston has a higher ceiling with the cannon of an arm, but Mariota can be a special QB in a few years. He reminds me a little of Drew Brees honestly (with a lot more athleticism) due to the great touch on his passes and similar arm strength with Brees in his prime. He’s closer to Alex Smith at the moment (which is not an insult for a rookie) but the potential for greatness is there and the Titans should be thrilled that Mariota is their QB of the future.