NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Listen inside the Tennessee Titans' locker room long enough and the players might convince you that Marcus Mariota, who is going through his worst season as a pro, will be why they pull off a playoff win Saturday in Kansas City.
What plausible reason do the Titans have to believe that Mariota, a quarterback who finished with more interceptions (15) than passing touchdowns (13), can show something different than what we saw from him for most of 2017?
Well, they rave about his resolve. That gives them hope for Saturday's wild-card matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs and for as long as he's the Titans' quarterback.
But why?
"Because we're in the playoffs. His red zone numbers are low, but we're still in the playoffs," tight end Delanie Walker said. "When he had crazy red zone numbers, we didn't make the playoffs. But somehow we made it this year. I know he's going to get the job done. I ain't worried about it."
Left tackle Taylor Lewan chimed in: "Because he expects it from himself and I expect it from him. We hold him to high standards. We've seen him exceed them before. He'll do it again."
What about right tackle Jack Conklin?
"Because of his confidence. If something does go wrong, you can always look at him and he'll be even-keeled. He doesn't have too many highs or lows. He's not an emotional roller coaster. When you've got a leader like that, you can look at when things go wrong, and he's calm. That's a big deal."
Veteran defenders Brian Orakpo and Wesley Woodyard pulled Mariota aside last week prior to the Titans' must-win game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The specific words exchanged weren't as important as the overall message: "You're our leader, you're our playmaker, you're our franchise quarterback. So go out there and do you."
Mariota did, particularly in the fourth quarter of the Titans' 15-10 win when he used his legs to rush for 37 yards on four carries -- all for first downs. It's the most he's run since Week 6 of the 2016 season. Mariota took matters into his own hands rather than be defined by the Titans' scheme. He even silenced some Jaguars trash talk and showed a little attitude with a vicious stiff-arm and stare-down.
His teammates loved it.
"You talking about that swagger, that swag he got? When you got a QB that got swag like that, he's going to wake up," defensive lineman Jurrell Casey said. "And when he wakes up, he's going to be a beast. Just waiting for him to let that explode constantly."
It was "backyard" Mariota at his finest. That, along with a better day from running back Derrick Henry, will be the recipe needed to pull it off Saturday.
Mariota led the Titans to four fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives this season, tied for the most in the NFL. He marched down the field for a game-winning drive against the Chiefs when they last played -- December 2016 at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Titans are calling their shot, predicting Saturday's storyline. They're putting the pressure on Mariota to carry them to unforeseen places because they're convinced he can do it.
