Marcus Mariota rebounds from terrible start in Titans debut

ATLANTA — Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota learned quickly Friday night that games — even preseason ones — are far different than practice.

On back-to-back plays in the first drive of his first preseason game, the No. 2 pick in the draft took his first NFL sack and threw his first NFL interception, neither of which had happened over the past two weeks as he received rave reviews and plenty of hype for his accurate passing at training camp in Nashville.

On his next possession, Mariota experienced another first when he had the ball batted out of his hand, and it was returned for a Falcons touchdown.

It was perhaps the first real adversity Mariota has faced all month.

Even playing against a Falcons defense that was without its top cornerback (Desmond Trufant) and a starting outside linebacker (Brooks Reed), Mariota faced a live pass rush.

The first sack came after interior pressure by Atlanta end Tyson Jackson, and defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux forced the fumble. The interception came after linebacker Justin Durant sat in a zone and jumped in front of a short pass attempt.

Rookie mistakes, sure, but they are the unforgivable ones — turnovers that led directly to 10 points for the Falcons.

But the Titans should be encouraged by the way Mariota handled his third possession after such a terrible start. He completed a pair of 17-yard passes to receiver Harry Douglas, including one on third-and-long, and a 26-yard catch-and-run by running back Antonio Andrews to set up the Titans’ first touchdown of the preseason, a six-yard run by Dexter McCluster.

Mariota did not rush one time in his preseason debut, and exited the game early in the second quarter after completing 7-of-8 throws for 94 yards, with the one interception and one sack.

Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.

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