12. Week 17 2017: The Young Maestro
After losing three straight games going into Week 17 against the Jaguars, the Titans looked primed to miss a golden opportunity to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008, and for the first time in the Mariota era.
However, the “Young Maestro” would not be denied, as his legendary stiff arm on Jaguars safety Barry Church will go down as one of the most memorable plays in team history.
Facing a third-and-5 and with Tennessee clinging to a 15-10 lead against the 10-win Jags, Mariota stiff armed Church into another zip code to pick up a huge first down. We can’t forget to mention the juke he had to make just to get to that point.
Tennessee would end up punting it away on the next set of downs, but Mariota’s clutch run ensured Jacksonville would have almost no time on the clock to pull off a miracle.
The Jags never pulled off that miracle and the Titans advanced to the postseason, where more magic awaited them.