Mariota has thrown 33 career touchdown passes so far — more than Russell Wilson, Carson Palmer, Jameis Winston, Tom Brady, Andy Dalton, Matt Ryan, Andrew Luck, Ben Roethlisberger, Jay Cutler, Eli Manning and Cam Newton during their first 20 games. He’s also only thrown 16 interceptions, which is less than everyone on that list but Big Ben, Ryan and Wilson (all three threw 13). His 92.9 passer rating through the 20 games surpasses all those but Wilson and Roethlisberger and is more than 10 points higher than Winston’s.

Does this mean Mariota is going to be better than some or all of these players? Of course not. But it’s more than enough for us to take seriously.

Mariota has thrown 33 career touchdown passes so far — more than Russell Wilson, Carson Palmer, Jameis Winston, Tom Brady, Andy Dalton, Matt Ryan, Andrew Luck, Ben Roethlisberger, Jay Cutler, Eli Manning and Cam Newton during their first 20 games. He’s also only thrown 16 interceptions, which is less than everyone on that list but Big Ben, Ryan and Wilson (all three threw 13). His 92.9 passer rating through the 20 games surpasses all those but Wilson and Roethlisberger and is more than 10 points higher than Winston’s.

Does this mean Mariota is going to be better than some or all of these players? Of course not. But it’s more than enough for us to take seriously.

Mariota’s fundamentals are strong, so he tends to lean on them a lot. That’s perfectly fine — indeed, that’s what they’re there for — but lots of fundamentally sound, grind-it-out quarterback performances aren’t always the best way to draw widespread praise. Just ask Alex Smith.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/10/marc...s-jaguars-game