Marcus Mariota is officially the talk of the NFL. The rookie quarterback did everything and more during his NFL debut with the Tennessee Titans as the team had the most productive offense they have put together in years. By the end of the first half the quarterback had already tossed four touchdowns while targeting almost every player on the roster at least once with a pass. While Mariota stresses it is only one game and people should not read too much into it, his teammates were left impressed.
In his debut, the No.2 draft pick went 13 of 16 for 209 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for six yards off two carries. The quarterback told the media it was merely one game and the Titans still had a whole season in front of them, but the 42 points scored were certainly a nice way to kick things off. Kendall Wright was the biggest beneficiary of Mariota's success as the receiver turned in a nice 101 yards off four catches with one touchdown.
"I think it was just me getting in the right spots and being confident in what I'm doing," Wright said, via the Tennessean. "I think that will help me out a lot. That's what we have to do as receivers - catch the ball and help (Mariota) keep his confidence up. He'll believe in us and keep coming to us."
The Titans did have one issue during the game which was the injury to tight end Delanie Walker who led the team in yards last year while also hauling in one of the touchdown passes from Mariota. Walker suffered a hand injury in the third quarterback and ended up getting it placed in a cast. According to head coach Ken Whisenhunt, the timetable for Walker's recovery is unknown, but it will push Wright along with Harry Douglas into the forefront for Mariota.
"I took a direct hit," Whisenhunt said, via ESPN.com. "The helmet hit me right on the hand. But I feel better already. We got good trainers. They want to be smart and make sure everything is OK."
The Titans also got a nice amount of production from the newly acquired Terrance West. Fantasy owners who invested in Bishop Sankey were likely left unhappy as the two backs split carries in Week 1. Sankey ended with 74 yards, but West added 41. The two backs could end up working in tandem more times than not throughout most of the season which is something fantasy owners should watch out for.
