PITTSBURGH -- The scene was set for Marcus Mariota, on the biggest platform in his career, to prove his place among the great, young NFL quarterbacks. Instead, Mariota turned in the worst performance of his career with four interceptions and erratic accuracy throughout the game.
Mariota has proven that he's the Tennessee Titans' franchise quarterback, but there's still a next level that he has yet to reach. The Titans' 40-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers showed that they won't compete with the best until Mariota and the team play with more precision.
"I think it'll be beneficial. It'll leave a very sour taste in my mouth," Mariota said, taking blame for the interceptions.
The mistakes started with Mariota, but they didn't end with the him. Rookie receiver Corey Davis also played a significant part in two of Mariota's four interceptions. In the second half, the defense failed after a month of carrying the team on its back.
But back to Mariota, because franchise quarterbacks have to play better than he did Thursday. Mariota is the first Titan with four interceptions in a game since Steve McNair had four in Week 6 of 2004 against the Texans. It was Mariota's first NFL game with more than two interceptions and the seventh multi-interception game in Mariota's career. The Titans have lost all seven of those games.
"Marcus is just one man," tight end Delanie Walker said. "We can't put everything on him."
The Titans' run game once again was bad, totaling 52 yards and averaging just 2.5 yards a carry. Tennessee's offensive line gave up five sacks. It probably would have taken a career-best performance from Mariota on the road to beat a Steelers team that is a championship contender. But he didn't come close.
His first-quarter interception came on an overthrown pass to Rishard Matthews and continued a pattern of seeing some first-quarter passes sail on him. His second and fourth interceptions were late passes when he stared down the receiver.
The Titans' coaching staff has to figure out what caused Mariota's rough outing and make sure he doesn't repeat it. There are some circumstances where Mariota would benefit from more play-action, up-tempo and read-option plays, but it's worth noting that a good bit of his interceptions and inaccuracy were because of his own mistakes.
Titans coach Mike Mularkey said young players failed to help Mariota out. Even the veterans were prone to mistakes Thursday.
The always-reliable Walker was wide open in the back of the end zone but dropped a pass early in the third quarter. It appeared he tried to get his feet down before securing the catch. It was Walker's first drop of the season and his first drop in the end zone since 2012.
"I just took my eyes off it. I thought it was a for-sure catch," Walker said. "I put that on my shoulders. That could have been a momentum changer."
On the previous drive, Jurrell Casey was called for a questionable roughing-the-passer penalty that took the Steelers out of a third-and-long situation and into the red zone. They scored a touchdown four plays later.
The Titans still have plenty of season left and remain a good position for a playoff berth. But they're not playing clean enough football to truly be considered an AFC championship contender.