NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Marcus Mariota's last game against the Jaguars was a memorable one.
Last December at Nissan Stadium, the Titans quarterback threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns in a wild, 42-39 win over the Jaguars. But the lasting memory from that game was his 87-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
The 87-yard run was the longest in franchise history by a quarterback, the third longest run by a quarterback in NFL history and the fifth-longest run overall for the team.
"I was pretty tired,'' Mariota, with a smile, said of the record-setting run on Tuesday. "I ended up having to grab one of the oxygen masks, but that was just that point in the season, your body's kind of tired. I hadn't run that far in a long time.
"I was just looking downfield trying to complete a pass. It was third-and-something, I think. I don't even remember. They ended up playing man coverage and they ended up bringing five guys which left kind of nobody underneath. I ended up breaking the pocket, saw a lot of space and just kind of took off. I thought those guys outside did a great job of blocking down the field and giving me an opportunity to finish that run."
Jaguars coach Gus Bradley hasn't forgotten that play, or Mariota's performances against his team last season. The Jaguars play the Titans on Thursday night at Nissan Stadium.
Mariota threw for 499 yards and three touchdowns in two games against the Jaguars last season, and he also ran for a combined 141 yards with two touchdowns. Mariota ran for a 23-yard touchdown in a Thursday night game in Jacksonville last season.
"Well, I think we all know that he can run a long ways and put a lot of hurt to a defense,'' Bradley said of Mariota on Tuesday. "I think that's an important part of it. He's so athletic and he's so fast that he really puts a lot of strain on a defense and then his ability to throw. He's completed 61 or 62 percent of his passes, so he's accurate, he's got good timing, the decision making part of it. I know he's a young player that is constantly improving. I just really like his poise. I think he's playing with really good poise."
In the last three games, Mariota has eight touchdown passes and an interception with a 113.1 rating.
He threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday against the Colts, but was admittedly off target on some of his throws.
Mariota on Tuesday said he needs to make "quick, decisive decisions" while using proper technique to be successful.
"If something's not there or something I feel is not open, either take off or throw the ball away and move on,'' Mariota said. "Sometimes I'm trying to force a throw here or there where I shouldn't have, but again, that's part of it. For me, I've just got to be better at some of those decisions and make them with the best of our team in mind.
"When I'm aggressive and things are moving quick and my feet are in place, I'm a better, more accurate thrower. When I get lazy and try to throw off my back foot, I tend to miss throws high, and that's what happened in the game (against the Colts)."
