The Tennessee Titans' road trip to Cleveland didn't go as planned, to say the least. Time after time they were gashed by untimely penalties, special teams gaffs and breakdowns in the secondary. The offense took a big step backwards after looking dominant in week one. So what exactly went right? Here are a few things that the Titans can build off of going forward.
Marcus Mariota
He had his moments of poor play on Sunday, but anyone pinning this loss on him is wrong. He didn't get much help in this game. The offensive line was atrocious and the receivers left a lot to be desired. Mariota showed plenty of fight when down three scores. He led two consecutive touchdown drives and put the team in position to compete again. If not for another defensive letdown late in the fourth quarter, he would have had a really good shot at evening the game up.
By the way, he also tied Dan Marino for the most touchdown passes through two games by a rookie. Not that that stat means anything in the win/loss column, but it's important to understand how good Marcus Mariota has been right out of the gate.
Dorial Green-Beckham
DGB kicked off his NFL career with a touchdown, capping off a drive that cut the Browns lead to just seven points. The play was a thing of beauty. Mariota came across the middle late to Green-Beckham. The ball was high, but DGB used his size and went up and got it. That was precisely what he was drafted to do. This was a promising development and hopefully just a taste of things to come.
Dexter McCluster
McCluster provided a real spark for an offense that needed it badly on Sunday. His 10 carries went for 98 yards, easily leading the team. McCluster was able to use his speed and acceleration to get to the perimeter, something that no other Titans' back has been able to do. He isn't going to be taking a "bell-cow" role anytime soon, but he showed that he can produce if given the opportunities in space. I think he's definitely earned more carries going forward and could factor into the Titans' rushing attack more than we thought.