Nashville, TN – The Tennessee Titans fell Saturday afternoon to the Carolina Panthers 26-16 at Nissan Stadium. There was a 30 minute delay in the game due to lightning in the third quarter.
Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota continued his excellent preseason play going 9 of 10 for 104 yards with one touchdown and an interception. On his final drive of the game, Mariota connected with Harry Douglas for a 23 yard touchdown pass.
![Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) looks to pass against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Nissan Stadium. (Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports) Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) looks to pass against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Nissan Stadium. (Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports)](https://www.clarksvilleonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Tennessee-Titans-Marcus-Mariota-3-480x320.jpg)
In two preseason games, Mariota has totaled 14 completions on 15 passes for 149 yards, one touchdown, one interception and a passer rating of 102.5.
Carolina quarterback Cam Newton led two scoring drives while throwing for 162 yards. On the first drive of the game, Newton threw a short pass short Ted Ginn. Ginn was able to avoid a tackle and then it in for a61 yards touchdown.
Titans’ running back Derrick Henry continued to impress Saturday. Henry had fire rushes for 31 yards in the game. His average per carry was 6.2 yards. Through two preseason games, Henry has 15 carries for 105 yards with an average of 7.0 yards per rush.
![Tennessee Titans wide receiver Tajae Sharpe (19) rushes against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Nissan Stadium. (Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports) Tennessee Titans wide receiver Tajae Sharpe (19) rushes against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Nissan Stadium. (Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports)](https://www.clarksvilleonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Tennessee-Titans-Tajae-Sharpe-480x320.jpg)
On of the highlights for the Titans was rookie wide receiver Tajae Sharpe. Sharpe ran crisp routes and was able to pick up extra yards after the catch. On one play, Mariota threw to a spot before Sharpe had made his break. Sharpe cut inside, turned and caught the ball. He played for three series during the game tallying six catches for 68 yards.
The Titans defense held the rush first Panthers to only 53 yards on 21 rush attempts for an average of 2.5 yards per rush. Last year, Carolina was ranked second in the NFL for rushing.
“I told the team in the locker room there were some positives that are going to come out of this, I already know it; I don’t have to watch the film. There are some good things that did show, some players that stood out,” stated Mularkey. “I think it’s a great game to teach off of, there’s a lot of little things that we can get better off the tape from this game.”
The Tennessee Titans are on the road next week as they face the Oakland Raiders at Oakland Coliseum Saturday, August 27th. The game is set for a 7:00pm CDT kickoff time.