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PITTSBURGH -- The Tennessee Titans' locker room was united in its message after a rough 40-17 loss to the Steelers: This isn't all on Marcus Mariota. Yes, Mariota needs to shoulder a good portion of the blame for his lackluster performance. But a honest look at the game would bring the conclusion that Mariota wasn't the only Titan who turned in a mistake-laden performance. "He could have used some help on the other [interceptions], especially from some young guys. Some lessons learned for some young players," coach Mike Mularkey said, referring primarily to rookie receiver Corey Davis. "In this league, you always have to come back toward the ball. Defenders are always closing." Mularkey was referring to Mariota's second interception. Davis ran a dig route, but he was a bit slow coming out of his break. The route wasn't smooth and he didn't come back for the football. Mariota clearly had Davis targeted as his top option, stared him down and threw the ball late to him when the rookie took longer than expected to complete his route. "They played a coverage that would allow me to go that direction," Mariota said. "It just happens. He's a young guy." Davis said he should've fought back for the ball, knowing the defender was on his hip. On Mariota's third interception, he targeted Davis, who could not get a lot of separation from his defender. The defender got a hand on the pass and knocked it in the air for another Steeler to pick it off. It was another play where Davis could've been more aggressive attacking the ball. Davis is a rookie receiver with a lot of potential. He was drafted No. 5 overall for a reason. He showed that with a brilliant first-quarter toe-drag catch that led to the Titans' first touchdown, but he has also shown examples of shaky route-running and failure to come back to the ball. Those things are expected of a rookie, but the Titans planned for him to be their No. 1 receiving option, and he's not quite there yet. Mariota targeted Davis seven times and he turned in three catches for 27 yards. The week before, Davis was targeted 10 times, which led to four catches for 48 yards and a crucial fumble that became a touchback after he lost the ball reaching for the pylon. "I just think he needs some experience," Mularkey said. "Most rookies have offseasons and training camps and preseason games, and all those to give them some experience. His is live fire. Live fire, 'Thursday Night Football' for your fourth [full] game. A portion of this falls on the Titans, who put some pressure on Davis to be a big part of their offensive revival when they returned from their Week 8 bye. Davis was also returning from a six-week absence due to a hamstring injury. It's hard to blame them for getting their hopes high given Davis' talent, but it's not completely unexpected that they've got this result. "I'm still trying to find my way," Davis said. There's no doubt that Davis' 2017 bouts with injuries has played a role in his up-and-down play. Davis missed much of the offseason program while recovering from ankle surgery. He also missed all of the preseason and most of training camp with a hamstring injury. He reinjured that hamstring in Week 2 and missed five games. Now he's playing catch up on everything he missed on the field. "He's going to be all right. He’s going to learn from it," veteran receiver Rishard Matthews said. "I tell Corey, 'You've got to have a short memory.'" The Titans aren't down on Davis, and they shouldn't be; it's just a realization that the learning process is in full force while they wish he was close to a finished product. That will come.
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