By JASON MARTIN (@JMartZone – September 23, 2018)

For the second time in as many weeks, the Tennessee Titans won a game no one gave them much of a chance to even compete in. For the second time in as many weeks, Blaine Gabbert started at quarterback.

For the first time in those two games though, he didn’t finish at quarterback.

A concussion on a penalized hit knocked him out of the game, and Marcus Mariota had to enter in relief, still not fully healthy and still dealing with inconsistent feeling in his throwing hand due to the ulnar nerve injury he sustained two weeks ago in Miami.

Here are my Big 6 Takeaways for the now 2-1 Tennessee Titans and an uber-impressive victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road.

A COACHING MASTERPIECE

Mike Vrabel is 2-1 and looks to have control of his football team. He looks to have their respect, even if he’s always going to be demanding and somewhat tough to play for. Matt LaFleur got crazy with his play calling last week, because he knew that’s what it would take without Mariota, Walker, Lewan, Conklin, and Smith. It worked. This week, he was still creative at specific moments and was able to keep Jacksonville at least confused as to what might come next.

Vrabel praised LaFleur’s second half play calling after the win, and he was dead right. The Titans OC put his guys in positions to succeed, and there’s a lot to like about the future with that guy building your offense. It was confident and it was often surgical in the third and fourth quarters. It wasn’t a fantasy football fan’s day, but that’s not what LaFleur is paid to do. What he’s paid to do is position that offense to succeed, and against THAT defense, this should provide a lot of hope to the fan base.

Defensively, Dean Pees harassed and pestered Blake Bortles, and when you hold the receiving corps to a game where the leading pass catcher on the day was T.J. Yeldon and his 46 yards, you’ve schemed and called a gem. Both coordinators shined and Vrabel was in command. Pees’ defense has quelled the Texans (now it’s clear Houston’s OL in particular is horrendous) and now Bortles, which became more impressive after his act against the Pats seven days ago.

Two games this team was counted out of and they won both, not despite their coaching, but precisely because their coaches trusted them to execute. This season could be over right now at 0-3. Instead, it’s just beginning.

TITANS DEFENSE MADE BORTLES LOOK LIKE…BORTLES

Blake Bortles was instrumental in the victory over the Patriots one week ago, playing the game of his life in a wide-open offense that took advantage of mismatches downfield. Bortles was accurate, decisive, and showed his athleticism when he needed it.

On Sunday against Tennessee, he showed almost nothing.

21/34 for 155 yards and he took a trifecta of sacks, courtesy of Woodyard, Casey, and Kenny Vaccaro. Without Fournette in the lineup, what benefited him against New England thwarted him this time around. Tennessee always plays Jacksonville tough, regardless of the circumstance, but Dean Pees dialed up pressure early and often and challenged Blake Bortles to beat them, and he simply could not get that job done.

Considering the Titans offense didn’t score a touchdown and won the game, the defense either had to be extraordinary or the Jags offense had to be absurdly stagnant. Both turned out to be true, and both have to do with that defensive performance. 232 total yards for the Jags… one SHY of Tennessee’s offensive output on the day. The Titans with 233 is expected, but the defense keeping Jacksonville so off-balanced, flummoxed, and frustrated was stellar.

MARCUS MARIOTA DID EVERYTHING HE COULD

He wasn’t really supposed to play, and most Titans fans didn’t really want to see him get assaulted by that ferocious Jaguars defense, but he did play…he took a few shots…and he won. Just 100 yards passing, but he was good enough when he needed to be, with no play bigger than a perfect play call, throw, and catch to Corey Davis over the middle on 3rd and 5 with 7:19 to play. Mariota would follow that conversion up with a pass to Luke Stocker inside the red zone to set up Ryan Succop’s game winning field goal.

Mariota also rushed 7 times for 51 yards and was a weapon in keeping the down and distance manageable or advancing the chains on a few key plays. He didn’t turn it over, and although he certainly wasn’t 100%, whatever he did have, he left on the field in Jacksonville. As tough as I’ve been at times on number 8, today he gets a game ball.

You couldn’t ask for much more than he gave you considering the circumstances.

RUSHING ATTACK COLLECTIVELY DECENT ENOUGH, ALBEIT UNSPECTACULAR

In addition to the quarterback gaining 51 yards with his feet, Derrick Henry bruised for 57 tough yards and Dion Lewis added 26. It wasn’t anything stellar, as the Titans still showed some blemishes on the interior offensive line and space was tough to find against the Jags up front. They’ll need more as the season progresses, but on this day where the defense played lights out and gave up just 87 total rushing yards on the day to Jacksonville, you like your chances as a Titans fan.

I still want to see Dion Lewis used more frequently, especially as a receiver out of the backfield or in empty back scenarios and looks, but that may still come. Today wasn’t about having Marcus throw the ball much, and there wasn’t a tremendous amount of time to free anyone up in the middle of the field with the backers patrolling and flying around. The game plan had to be meticulous and adaptable when necessary, and it was.

TENNESSEE SQUEAKY CLEAN

This was a chippy, physical game, just as expected between these two teams. But, after being a little undisciplined over the first two games, the Titans did two things that were immensely important to the win that had nothing to do with scoring plays or third down conversions or even completions…except that we didn’t see much called back.

Four penalties for 30 yards on the day cannot be understated. In Week 1, Jerome Boger’s crew called the Titans just 5 times, although it was for 48 yards. Last week was a little rougher with 8 infractions totaling 70 yards. This week, Tennessee played right up to the line, but rarely crossed over it. Even with all the trash talking on the field, the Titans did not shoot themselves in the foot with their own gun. 9-6 isn’t anything special, except that it is. It’s a win in the NFL. It’s a divisional win in the NFL against a Super Bowl contender.

And when it’s that close, penalties are huge. Also gigantic…turnovers. On the day, ZERO for the Titans, who entered the game with 3 giveaways and 3 takeaways.

HOUSE MONEY, HOMEY

The Titans are 2-1 when they could easily be 0-3, especially with the injuries and various situations surrounding the team. But they’re not, and they just got the biggest win anyone can get in the division this year: a victory on the road over the Jaguars. It was a slugfest, at times an ugly one, but being 2-1 and 2-0 in the AFC South puts Tennessee in the driver’s seat at the current moment.

Considering the defending Super Bowl champs are coming to town next, the W/L record after three games is massive. Carson Wentz and the Eagles barely escaped Andrew Luck’s Colts at home in the former’s return to the field following his 2017 injury, but didn’t look particularly impressive. Indy’s defense played well in Washington and was no slouch in Philly, but no one views them as a strong unit.

The Titans have shown a pass rush in consecutive weeks and Wentz is still shaking off the rust. In fact, it might be that way all year long for him, so Tennessee is catching the Eagles at the perfect time. They’re not firing on all cylinders. This wasn’t supposed to happen for the Titans, but here they are.

OVERALL

It should be a fun atmosphere in Nashville next week. It’s known that the Eagles fans pick one road game to swarm to en masse, and yes, they’ve picked the Titans game, so it may not sound quite as friendly as it could otherwise inside the building, but a 2-1 team that’s getting healthier and gaining some confidence against the defending champs is the recipe for a dramatic afternoon.

Even a loss would leave Tennessee 2-2 with Buffalo on deck. The Bills destroyed the Vikings this week, in by far the strangest result of the season, so maybe that’s not as easy a win as some thought, or perhaps Minnesota just didn’t show up today. Either way, it could be 0-4 right now after letting Miami get you in Week 1 in a winnable game, but it’s 2-1 with back-to-back division wins.

And this team is getting healthier. Delanie won’t be back this season, but a lot of other guys will, some of the rooks are getting more reps, and the Titans are gaining some level of polish, even with a long way to go.

You do hope Adoree can play against Philly…they’re going to need that guy in a big way. Hopefully both he and Gabbert progress quickly and rest does them both well.

9-6 is just as big a win as 49-6. It took grit, it took ingenuity, it took toughness, and it took poise. On Sunday in Jacksonville, Mike Vrabel and the Tennessee Titans had enough of it to get the job done. What a huge win.

Call it a steal, but it was legal.