Maybe it was the firing of Ken Whisenhunt and the elevation of Mike Mularkey to interim coach. “She’s very concerned about making sure that we do everything that’s necessary, including keeping him out of games in order to avoid making his current injuries any worse”, Underwood said in describing Strunk’s concern for Mariota. “My goal is to help the team win no matter what that is”. “Those guys hung in there – credit (the Titans) for battling back like they were able to”. “Never once did they ever flinch. We’re glad to have him back”. “It was kind of frustrating”, Saints coach Sean Payton said in a subdued tone while rattling off a list of such frustrations following the game.
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Mariota, who is officially listed as probable, has missed the Titans’ last two games with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. He completed 28 of 39 passes, at times converting quick, decisive throws under pressure.
It seemed like the Saints would run away at times, but the Titans kept answering with more points.
Drew Brees passed short right to tight end Josh Hill for 10 yards and a touchdown to put the Saints up over the Titans at home early.
Kai Forbath’s potential game-winning, 46-yard field goal attempt with 1:01 left was blocked by Tennessee cornerback Coty Sensabaugh. First, Tennesee’s Ryan Succop hit the cross bar on a 55-yard try that would have been a career long.
Don’t discount the Titans who just fired their coach, got their quarterback back and beat the Saints who had been playing well. 500 after an 0-3 start.
Titans quarterbacks were sacked an average of 3.4 times per game in 23 contests under Whisenhunt and no quarterback started more than six consecutive games.
Even if you go back to his time in Arizona, those QBs were frequently bruised and battered.
As I’ve said before, we can’t get too high or too low on this team each week and this one is no different.
Tennessee had to overcome a significant lack of discipline to win. Brees also added a one yard touchdown. With 57 yards to drive, Tennessee needed eight plays (and a roughing the passer penalty) to score on Mariota’s 8-yard pass to receiver Justin Hunter, and to tie the score at 28 with Mariota’s two-point conversion pass to Walker.
Walker also had touchdown receptions of 61 and 2 yards. Despite getting outplayed for most of the game, New Orleans was in great position to steal a win when Brees connected with Willie Snead for a 22-yard gain to the Titans’ 33 with about a minute and a half to play.
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Tennessee got a gift touchdown on the next possession with Keenan Lewis and Jarius Byrd collided on what should have been an easy interception and Delanie Walker caught the carom and completed a 58 yard touchdown pass from Marcus Mariota to slice the lead to 14-10. But another Saints defender came in to make a play on the ball and it bounced up in the air into the hands of tight end Delanie Walker, who caught it and took it the rest of the way.
