Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota had an impressive NFL debut in Sunday's 42-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, joining Fran Tarkenton as the only rookie quarterbacks in league history to throw four touchdowns in a Week 1 game, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft, Mariota easily outdueled the No. 1 overall selection, Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston.
Mariota completed 13 of his 16 passes for 209 yards and four touchdowns, whereas Winston completed just 16 of his 33 passes for 210 yards, with two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions.
Mariota was barely even needed in the second half, as his quartet of first-half touchdowns, along with a pick-six by cornerback Coty Sensabaugh, helped the Titans take a commanding 35-7 lead by halftime.
In addition to matching Tarkenton's four touchdowns, Mariota became the first rookie quarterback to post a perfect 158.3 passer rating in a Week 1 game, per Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 AM.
Mariota was the only signal-caller of any age with a perfect passer rating in Week 1, as future Hall of Famers Tom Brady (143.8) and Aaron Rodgers (140.5) fell a little bit short in outstanding performances.
Mariota should face more resistance in his Week 2 matchup with a Cleveland Browns secondary led by Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden, but the Titans still have a nice opportunity to improve to 2-0.
via http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2566227-titans-mariota-becomes-2nd-rookie-to-throw-4-touchdowns-in-week-1
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