Rex Ryan on Marcus Mariota: He won’t have his way with us

Marcus Mariota is the second player in NFL history to throw eight touchdowns in his first three career games, joining two-time Super Bowl champion Mark Rypien.

He’s produced the second-highest passer rating of any player in his first three starts, trailing only Greg Cook, the United Press International AFL Rookie of the Year in 1969.

And in his most recent appearance, before the Titans’ Week 4 bye, the rookie quarterback was seen leading an 80-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes of play against the defending AFC South champion Colts, which would have tied the game had the team succeeded in its attempt to rush for a two-point conversion.

To which, Bills coach Rex Ryan has replied with a shrug.

“I don’t think the kid will have his way against us,” Ryan told Buffalo media during a news conference Wednesday. “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

Mariota’s Total QBR then plummeted to 29.7 in Week 2 before slightly rebounding to 38.8 in the Titans’ loss before their bye week.

An injury to LeSean McCoy is one reason why the Buffalo Bills aren’t living up to lofty expectations. This franchise hasn’t spent five games during a regular season without a road game since the 1960s when they were the Houston Oilers in the AFL, and not since 1967.

Meanwhile, Mariota has been hot and cold in his first three National Football League starts.

Wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham has only three catches this season, but he has made the a lot of them. The one setback is the offensive line has struggled at times in protection, leading to 12 sacks.

Will it be Bishop Sankey, Antonio Andrews or Dexter McCluster to carry the load? While none of those are likely candidates for your fantasy team, the Titans have done a decent job of mixing and matching, which is far better than a year ago when the Titans were all too quick to abandon the run. The Buffalo defense is allowing 23 points and 376.2 yards per game with six interceptions, three fumble recoveries, and seven sacks.

This is going to be a great test for Mariota.

Despite having the time off come early in the season, Tennessee seems to have benefited with cornerback James McCourty expected to make his season debut after undergoing groin surgery in August. However, he’s tossed four of each in the two losses and faces a defense that ranks sixth with an average of 308.3 yards – 194.7 through the air.

The Titans (1-2) play the Bills (2-2) on Sunday in their second of four consecutive games at Nissan Stadium, eager to break a two-game losing streak that aggravated them into the off week. They’re also motivated to end a six-game skid at home that’s stretched for nearly a year, since a 16-14 victory against the Jaguars on Oct. 12, 2014.