Marcus Mariota delivers beautiful touchdown pass to Craig Stevens (Video)

Marcus Mariota dropped a dime to Craig Stevens for a 20-yard touchdown pass vs. Oakland

Marcus Mariota has had a season that you’d expect from a rookie quarterback in his first year with the Tennessee Titans. He’s shown flashes of looking like a superstar and contrarily had games where he’s been of a letdown. In the first quarter against the Oakland Raiders in Week 12, Mariota sure looked more like a potential superstar than not.

Mariota jumpstarted the drive with three completed passes on the first three plays. After benefitting from a 15-yard personal foul penalty on the Raiders, the Titans were on the Oakland 20-yard line. That’s when Mariota dropped back and delivered a perfectly placed ball into the hands of tight end Craig Stevens. Stevens mishandled the initial catch, tipping the ball up, but he recovered to gain control for the touchdown:

Don’t let Stevens’ bobble on that catch fool you; that was an absolute dime thrown by Mariota. He put that ball right where it needed to be for his target to make the catch and he was rewarded with a touchdown for doing so.

Again, Mariota has been far from perfect over the course of his rookie season. However, it’s throws like this that he’s making every now and then—as well as other plays—that makes you think that the Titans have to be more than optimistic about their future with Mariota at quarterback.