It wasn’t pretty, but the Tennessee Titans and Marcus Mariota prevailed with a 20-16 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in an AFC South clash. DeMarco Murray’s touchdown in the fourth quarter sealed the win.

Mariota completed 17-of-25 attempts for 184 passing yards, two interceptions and one touchdown. He rushed three times for four yards.

With 6:05 left in the third quarter, the Colts led 16-6. Then, Mariota took over. He drove Tennessee down the field and found his tight end Delanie Walker in the back of the end zone. The tally cut the deficit to 16-13 with just over a minute left in the third.

The only scoring drive of the fourth quarter was led by Mariota. He drove the Titans 77 yards on nine plays taking a methodical 6:57 off the clock. The Murray score placed Tennessee ahead by four and they would never look back.

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

In his last two games, Mariota has thrown six interceptions while passing for just two scores and rushing for another. His TD-INT ratio currently stands at 9-12, as he fights through his first true professional slump. If anyone is capable of overcoming, it’s him.

Throughout his career, Mariota does his best work at the end of the year. He thrives as the season goes along, as most Duck fans know. Nevertheless, his team continues to win and hold a first-place spot in their division.

Tennessee’s offense has never offered the most-ample supply of artillery, yet Mariota makes them explosive. Last year, he excelled in the second half of the season before a season-ending injury derailed a great opportunity.

In 2017, Mariota will gladly take the wins as he seeks his 2016 rhythm.

Marcus Mariota Season Stats

193-of-306 pass completions (+17-of-25)

63.1 percent completion percentage (+0.5%)

2,273 passing yards (+184)

9 passing touchdowns (+1)

12 interceptions (+2)

7.36 yards per pass (-0.08)

75 yards season-long completion (+20)

57.8 QBR (-0.5)

79.1 Rating (-0.8)

40 rush attempts (+3)

190 rushing yards (+4)

4 rushing touchdowns

0 fumbles

4.75 yards per carry (-0.25)

34 yards (season-long rush)

0 red zone interceptions

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Week 12: Titans vs Colts

Next up for the first place Titans (7-4) is another AFC South opponent with the Houstan Texans (4-6) on Sunday. Kickoff is slated for 10:00 a.m. PT from Nissan Stadium in Nashville. Tennessee is 4-1 at home. The game will be broadcast on CBS in local areas.

Stay tuned, if you want to; Twitter @TheQuackFiend Gram @eugene_levys_eyebrows