NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- In losses to the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos in Weeks 5-6, the Tennessee Titans scored a total of seven points. It led to Marcus Mariota's benching. But in two victories since Ryan Tannehill took over as the starting quarterback, the Titans scored 23 and 27 points.

It's safe to say the offense has experienced a resurgence with Tannehill. How did it happen?

It might seem as if he's making quicker decisions -- but according to ESPN Stats & Information research, Tannehill is taking 2.88 seconds before pass attempts, which is longer than Mariota's 2.84 seconds. It isn't better pass-blocking, either. With Mariota, the offensive line was 10th in the NFL with a pass block win rate of 60%; with Tannehill, they've dropped to 23rd (54%).

Two drives illustrate why Tannehill has been effective. The first was in the third quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers in Tannehill's first start. The 14-play drive covered 85 yards and took 7 minutes, 9 seconds off the clock, requiring three third-down conversions and was capped by a 6-yard touchdown pass to Tajae Sharpe that gave the Titans a 16-10 lead.

The second drive put the Titans ahead for good against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth quarter. This time, Tannehill took over on Tennessee's 10-yard line. He successfully converted two third-down opportunities, with the final one leading to a touchdown when he found A.J. Brown for an 8-yard score to make the score 27-23.

Those drives highlight the offense's improvement in both red zone and third-down efficiency the past two weeks.

"That's preparation," Tannehill said. "The coaches do a good job throughout the week of preparing us, showing us and talking us through the looks on tape. It's just a matter of seeing it and making it happen when we get in the game."

Titans coach Mike Vrabel was quick to heap praise on Tannehill when asked about the efficiency his quarterback has brought to the offense.

"The biggest thing that Ryan did yesterday was he got us into two great checks ... two blitz-zero checks that allowed us to protect it long enough," Vrabel said Monday. "He ... threw a great pass to [Adam] Humphries on third down and threw a great pass to Tajae on third down. You're going to have to pick up some critical third downs on a 10- or 12-play drive. It comes down to dropping back and finding the guy open pretty quick."

The third-down conversions are where Tannehill has given the Titans' offense a boost. Before he became the starter, Tennessee's 29.5% conversion rate was 29th in the NFL. In Weeks 7-8 with Tannehill at quarterback, the conversion rate was 45.8% (13th in the NFL). Tannehill's QBR on third downs is 56.5. Mariota's is 12.

The Titans have been better in third-and-long situations as well. Before Tannehill took over, Tennessee earned first downs on four of their 31 attempts on third-and-10 or longer. Under Tannehill, the Titans are 3 of 8 in those situations.

"He's been an eight-year starter in the NFL and has a ton of experience," quarterbacks coach Pat O'Hara said of Tannehill. "He's very decisive with the ball and puts in a lot of work to know the game plan."

In the past two games with Tannehill, the Titans have scored a touchdown on all six of their visits to the red zone. Tennessee's red-zone touchdown percentage moved up to 66.7% (third in the NFL). The previous rate (53.3%) put the Titans at 19th.

The decisiveness Tannehill plays with shows in how he is getting the ball into tight places. That's crucial to be effective in the red zone. Tannehill's touchdown pass to Corey Davis against the Chargers was a precise, tight-window throw that got to the receiver between two defenders.

"There are decisions that have to happen pretty quickly, especially down there in the red zone," Vrabel said. "The windows are tighter and the areas/spaces are much shorter."

Vrabel also said their significant jump in the red zone touchdown scoring percentage is the result of a team effort.

Tight end Jonnu Smith's 5-yard touchdown catch against Tampa Bay was an example. Tannehill admitted the throw was off target, but Smith was able to haul it in anyway. The collective mindset and execution in the red zone have led to more touchdowns, Tannehill said.

"The guys are executing. I am proud of the guys and the way they keep battling," Tannehill said. "A few times, we went to third down, and we were finally able to get into the end zone. Just that belief that we are going to get into the end zone. When we get down there, we believe that we are going to get into the end zone."