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So last week my old phone broke and I had to purchase a new one. Because I use the Google Authenticator App to login Taylor Lewan Jersey , it didn’t recognize my new phone and I was unable to get an article in last week.Coincidentally, I managed to get my account back the week the Titans end their losing streak, so I showed up in time. That about describes the Titans’ 28-14 victory over the Cowboys on Monday Night to put them back in the win column and back to .500.Coming off the bye, the Titans desperately needed this victory, as the Texans managed to get by on a missed field goal from Broncos kicker Brandon McManus as time expired to win their sixth straight. Marcus Mariota also needed a strong game statistically to silence his critics, and that’s exactly what he did.People coming away surprised from Mariota’s performance (21/29 for 240 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 picks, and 32 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown) didn’t get a taste of who Mariota can become, but rather who he is. Prior to this game, the Titans’ receivers were tied with the Browns for the highest drop rate in the league according to ESPN. Along with the hand injury he suffered in week 1, don’t you think that’s been affecting his stats just a little bit?Truth be told, if Tennessee’s receivers catch with the consistency they showed on Monday Night, Mariota would be getting more praise. But since they haven’t been, this game is supposedly a “growth in development” for Mariota or an “outlier game” instead of being used as proof that he’s been consistently capable of making the throws. It’s just that the receivers remembered to bring their hands following the bye.So despite two giveaways on their first two drives (almost three), the Titans played and looked like the better team all the way through, with Mariota saving one of his best performances yet under the big lights at Jerry World. For more on that, let’s take a look at his Monday Night tape in this week’s edition of Keeping Up With Marcus Mariota.Taywan Taylor caught a pass in tight coverage you guys!gamepass.nfl.comThe Titans converted 11 of 14 third downs last night, with Mariota being involved on at all of them (whether passing or running). On the first scoring drive alone the Titans went a perfect 4 for 4 on third down conversions. One of these third down conversions came on this 3rd and 9 on Tennessee’s own 21-yard line. Taywan Taylor has mostly been a liability when trying to win at the catch point, being responsible for several of Tennessee’s drops this season. But he made up for it with this great catch to move the chains.Last night ESPN’s broadcasting crew mentioned on a few occasions how impressed they were with Mariota’s anticipation on some of his throws. Indeed, his quick throwing motion is sublime and he has lighting fast instincts whenever he’s cycling the field, much like Tom Brady, Drew Brees or Philip Rivers.DeMarcus Lawrence, responsible for a strip sack on Tennessee’s first drive of the game, came back to try and get Mariota again on a four-man rush Brian Orakpo Jersey , but Mariota is able to stand tall here and deliver this ball into a tight window to a spot where only Taylor can make a play on it. The result is a perfect throw on third and long to keep the first of four scoring drives on the night going.THIS JUST IN: Mariota is capable of doing this.gamepass.nfl.comDuring the preseason it was noted how Mariota had a significantly high passer rating under pressure, in fact one of the highest, of the 2017 season. There’s been some brutal stretches for this Titans offense on third down, but Mariota made sure to shoot those complaints out of the stratosphere, responding extremely well to pressure.On another 3rd and 9, Dallas sends a two-man blitz after the fourth-year starter, who recognizes it right away without flinching. Instead, Mariota keeps his eyes up, tucks the ball in slightly, and shuffles left to adjust to the blitz, delivering this ball on time to Corey Davis. Keep in mind this also came on the first scoring drive.Mariota would eventually convert the final two third down situations of this drive on the ground, one being on read option and the other being on a quarterback sneak. Derrick Henry would finish off the drive extending the ball over the goal line for a touchdown to tie the game.Mariota would then save his best throw of the night on the Titans’ second scoring drive—coincidentally following the first scoring drive—and it was a beauty.gamepass.nfl.comThe Cowboys initially look to be sending a six-man rush on this play, but two “rushers” drop back and it turns into a four-man rush on a zone blitz. Mariota is able to process this and knows where he wants to go with the ball.Keep in mind this is on another third down.If this play looks a little familiar, it should. Remember back in 2017 at Indianapolis when Mariota made a crazy, mind altering throw to Delanie Walker in quadruple coverage? This is kind of the same throw, expect over the middle of the field and into triple coverage. But that doesn’t make this any less impressive.Somehow, Mariota puts phenomenal touch on this pass to Darius Jennings, who thankfully catches it for 36 yards and the first down. Isn’t it strange that Mariota’s accuracy looks all the better when his receivers actually catch the ball? It’s an innovative concept, but Mariota’s accuracy has never been the issue with his “development.”In the previous three games the issues with Mariota came from lousy protection, receivers dropping passes, a poor scheme, or all three at once. But coming out of the bye, Matt LaFleur came in with a more defined approach on his game plan, giving Dion Lewis the majority of the RB snaps and allowing Mariota to take more shots downfield. The protection and rhythm were not there on the team’s first two drives, but since then the team responded beautifully Ben Jones Jersey , rarely missing a beat.This is who Marcus Mariota is, not who he can become. The sooner we separate his completion percentage and raw stats from his actual play, the sooner we can realize he’s actually putting together a fine season. His masterpiece of a performance from last night would show up more consistently if his receivers continue to catch his passes and the game plan continues to be as defined as it was against the Cowboys.Last season Mariota was required to play perfect in order to carry the Titans to the playoffs in Mike Mularkey’s scheme. Prior to Monday Night, the previous three games required the same feat. But Monday Night’s game showed what could really happen down the road if Mariota and his receivers are on the same page and the scheme allows him to take more shots downfield.The Titans’ next five games on their schedule are as follows: Vs. New England (I guess they’re an okay team from what I’ve heard...), at Indianapolis, at Houston, vs. the Jets and vs. Jacksonville. The matchup against the Patriots is massive, but the following four are very winnable games. The Texans are 6-3, but have just been barely getting by in their wins, while the Colts, Jets and Jaguars have not played that well this season (although the Colts are picking up a little steam coming off a two-game winning streak).We’ll know who this Titans team truly is these next five games and how much help they can give Mariota. But if last night’s victory is of any indication, they’re attempting a step in the right direction with a quarterback coming off an excellent display of quarterbacking. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Unthinkable at the start of December, Derrick Henry has put together the best two-game stretch in franchise history to put himself 118 yards shy of the first 1,000-yard rushing season in his three-year NFL career.It’s still not a number that the Titans running back and 2015 Heisman Trophy winner is pondering.“I’m not focused on that,” Henry said Wednesday. “I’m focused on us getting this (win) and us finishing off the week right, going in there prepared and executing the plan and whatever happens happens. And I don’t really focus on 1,000 yards. As long as we get this win, that’s what I’ll be happy with.”The 6-foot-3, 247-pound Henry has turned around not just his season, but cemented his spot on the Tennessee roster. Rumors swirled that the Titans tried to trade him away at the deadline earlier this year, and Henry lost his starting spot to veteran Dion Lewis in November.Then Henry, who had been running much better since Tennessee’s bye at the end of October, turned in a game for the record books Dec. 6.Henry tied Tony Dorsett’s NFL record with a 99-yard touchdown run and finished with a franchise-record 238 yards on 17 carries and scored four touchdowns in a 30-9 rout of Jacksonville. That got Henry back in the starting lineup, and he ran a career-high 33 times for 170 yards and two TDs in a 17-0 shutout against the New York Giants.His 408 yards combined over the two games are the best in team history Nate Palmer Jersey , topping the 405 yards Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell managed for the then-Houston Oilers in October 1980. Nobody had ever run for six TDs over two games for this franchise before Henry.Offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur said he knows Henry was a little frustrated earlier this season.So what changed? Better blocking and play all around, especially by Henry.“I just think he’s running with a purpose, running with an attitude, a mindset a mentality that I’m not going down,” LaFleur said.Three-time Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan says it’s cool to be part of record-setting performances.“He finds the holes, and he makes those extra guys miss,” Lewan said. “You can’t block them all on every single play. As much as we’d like to take credit, that’s him.”Now Henry can run for just 59 yards apiece over each of the next two games to reach 1,000 yards for the season, and he gets his first chance Saturday against Washington (7-7). The Redskins have allowed at least 130 yards rushing over each of the past five games.Henry is very familiar with Washington’s defensive line, having won championships with defensive end Jonathan Allen and rookie nose tackle Daron Payne at Alabama. But the running back, so critical of his own play early this season, insists he’s not worried about reaching 1,000 yards as long as the Titans win.“For me to be doing this stuff, you have to look at what’s happening around me,” Henry said. “That’s why I always say team because for me to have success and make big plays, everybody looks at what’s going on around me, and those guys are doing their job. I’m just going out there trying to do mine.”Coach Mike Vrabel called Henry the type of leader who works to improve what he is doing, which has carried over.“Happy for his success and hope we can get him as many yards as we can get him,” Vrabel said.Notes: Five Titans did not practice Wednesday: Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jurrell Casey (knee), LBs Brian Orakpo (elbow) and Sharif Finch (left shoulder), WR Tajae Sharpe (ankle) and LB Wesley Woodyard (back), added to the injury report after not being listed Tuesday. QB Marcus Mariota (foot) and S Kenny Vaccaro (concussion protocol) practiced fully.