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Marcus Mariota, DeMarco Murray Lead Titans To 36-22 Win Over Jaguars

NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 27: Marcus Mariota #8 of the Tennessee Titans runs with the ball during the third quarter of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Nissan Stadium on October 27, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Marcus Mariota threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns to end his home woes, DeMarco Murray rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown, and the Tennessee Titans scored their highest point total of the season in a 36-22 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night.

Marcus Mariota, DeMarco Murray Lead Titans To 36-22 Win Over Jaguars

Since the beginning of the 2014 season, the Titans’ home record is 3-0 against the Jaguars and 1-17 against all other teams. Tennessee is also 3-8 in home games started by Mariota, a second-year pro out of Oregon.

Mariota finished 18 of 22 for 270 yards and had a 148.1 passer rating, the second-highest of his career.

The Titans (4-4) also gained a season-high 494 total yards and earned their third win in four games. Tennessee led 27-0 at halftime and scored on six consecutive possessions during a stretch that began in the first quarter and extended into the third period.

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“We’re just sick and tired of losing, man,” Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan said. “Sick and tired of being a pushover in this division. I think we’ve had some games that were close and (we) shouldn’t even be .500. We should be over .500.”

The Jaguars, meanwhile, aren’t feeling nearly as positive about themselves. Jacksonville coach Gus Bradley, who is in his fourth season and owns a 14-41 record. The Jaguars (2-5) managed to leave with some dignity thanks to two touchdowns in the final 3 1/2 minutes.

“The first half was inexcusable,” Bradley said. “We didn’t come out to play. I don’t know what the answer is. Do we play with some anxiety? Yeah, I can say I felt like we pressed too much, but some of the plays that weren’t being made had nothing to do with anxiety.

“I don’t know if it’s focus. We have a high standard, and we didn’t meet that standard.”

The Titans already led 3-0 before Mariota tossed a 36-yard touchdown pass to Kendall Wright on the first play of the second quarter. Rookie Derrick Henry ended Tennessee’s following drive by scoring his first NFL touchdown on a 6-yard run.

Murray added a 14-yard touchdown run three minutes later.

Thte Titans capped the first half with a 90-yard drive that resulted in Ryan Succop’s 22-yard field goal on the last play of the second quarter.

Blake Bortles threw three touchdown passes for the Jaguars and went 33 of 54 for 337 yards, although most of his production came with the game out of reach.

The Titans will next visit the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, Nov. 6, while the Jaguars will visit the Kansas City Chiefs that same day.

NASHVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 27: Marcus Mariota #8 of the Tennessee Titans runs with the ball during the third quarter of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Nissan Stadium on October 27, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Pablo Mena

Writer and assistant editor for usports.org. NY Giants and Rangers fan. Film and TV enthusiast (especially Harry Potter and The Office) and lover of foreign languages and cultures.