Marcus Mariota has been the backup for the Las Vegas Raiders this season. However, he deserves another shot as a starter.
In the game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Derek Carr went down with an injury and for the first time this season, Mariota came into a game. He quickly proved that he could still be a starter in the league.
When Mariota came in, it was Duck vs. Duck. Yes, you read that correctly. Marcus Mariota and Justin Herbert, who has been getting praise around the league. The two former Oregon Ducks led their respective teams and the game went into overtime.
Was Mariota a little rusty?
After not playing at all yet this season, you could say he was. But, he looked good. For the first time in his NFL career, he looked healthy.
It may be considered an excuse by many, but it was hard for Mariota to succeed when he had three different head coaches in four years. All he needed was a little bit of consistency.
In the game against the Chargers:
Mariota completed 17 out 28 passes for 226 yards with a Touchdown and an interception. He looked even better running the ball, 9 rushes for 88 yards and a touchdown.
What kind of system does Mariota need?
He needs to be in a system, where they are gonna allow him to break free and run the ball. In Tennessee, they didn’t want him to tuck it all that much.
If the Raiders move on from Carr, Mariota would be a good fit in Las Vegas. However, there are a couple of other places that would be good options for him.
Carson Wentz has never been the right quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s not mobile enough. Now they do have Jalen Hurts who will most likely be their starter going forward.
The Denver Broncos have gone through four different quarterbacks this season and Drew Lock is looking more and more like a backup. Wouldn’t be a bad option for Denver to reunite Mariota with Royce Freeman.
San Francisco would be a good place for Mariota. They have a good offensive line and a good receiving core. They have the type of system that would allow Mariota to thrive. But they have not found their QB. Jimmy Garoppolo is a winner, but isn’t a starter.
WHO WON THE BATTLE BETWEEN MARIOTA AND HERBERT?
Although Mariota did look good, I’m saying Herbert took the win in this battle. His team won and he had the game-winning rushing TD in overtime.
Will teams take a bite on Mariota?
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