Marcus Mariota comes off bench to lead Titans past Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars running back T.J. Yeldon is upended by Tennessee Titans linebacker Jayon Brown during the second half of Sunday's game. Yeldon had 44 rushing yards on seven carries as the Jaguars lost to the Titans for the fifth time in their past six meetings. Jacksonville Jaguars running back T.J. Yeldon is upended by Tennessee Titans linebacker Jayon Brown during the second half of Sunday's game. Yeldon had 44 rushing yards on seven carries as the Jaguars lost to the Titans for the fifth time in their past six meetings.

By Associated Press September 24, 2018 5 min read

Tennessee Titans kicker Ryan Succop points upward after kicking a 28-yard field goal in Sunday’s 9-6 road win against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota just has a knack for beating the Jacksonville Jaguars.

He has done it with his arm. He has done it with his legs. Now he has done it off the bench.

Mariota directed three scoring drives in relief of Blaine Gabbert, including one in the fourth quarter, as the Titans knocked off the Jaguars 9-6 Sunday for their third straight victory in the AFC South rivalry series. Mariota improved to 5-2 against Jacksonville, the fourth-year pro’s most wins against any opponent.

First-year Titans coach Mike Vrabel gave Mariota a game ball in the locker room.

“He was fantastic,” Vrabel said. “He cares about this team immensely. He wants what’s best for this team. You saw him come in there, get us some first downs and give us a spark.”