Marcus Mariota posts 2nd-most accurate performance in NFL history in loss to Texans
Quarterback play in the NFL has reached ridiculous levels.
Even losing passers are threatening NFL records.
A day after Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers set an NFL record with 25 completions to start a game in a 28-for-29 day, Marcus Mariota found himself in a similar position.
Marcus Mariota misses just one pass
The Tennessee Titans quarterback hit his first 19 passes Monday night against the Houston Texans. But his 20th attempt hit the ground as he looked to find running back Derrick Henry in the flat during a late desperation drive in the 34-17 loss to the Houston Texans.
Mariota didn’t miss another pass and finished 22-of-23 for 303 yards and a pair of touchdowns, good for a 147.7 quarterback rating and 95.7 completion percentage, the second most accurate game in NFL history behind Rivers’ performance. Not a bad day, except for the whole losing the football game thing.
Mariota also took six sacks as the Texans outgained the Titans on the ground, 281 yards to 105, which somewhat explains how Tennessee managed to score just 17 points with Mariota’s big day.
Dubious place in record book
The loss also puts Mariota in rare company considering his accuracy. According to Pro Football Reference, a quarterback has completed 90 percent or more of his passes on at least 20 attempts in a regular season game just nine other times since 1950.
The only other quarterback to do it in a losing effort was Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, who achieved the dubious feat in a Week 2 loss this season to the Denver Broncos while hitting on 29-of-32 pass attempts.
Rivers is on the list twice, for his performance Sunday and a win over the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012.
While the stats look good for Mariota, he’d likely trade the performance for a win, as the Titans’ already long-shot playoff hopes got even longer as they fell to 5-6.
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