Eagles QB Marcus Mariota Impresses in 'High Level' Preseason Debut
The Philadelphia Eagles have a lot of new personnel on offense this season, including backup quarterback Marcus Mariota.
With Jalen Hurts resting in the team's preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens, Mariota drew the start.
Mariota quarterbacked the team's first two drives and finished the day completing 7 of 11 passes for 58 yards. He led the Eagles into field goal range on both drives; Jake Elliott nailed the first kick from 45 yards but missed wide right on a 46-yard attempt on the second drive.
"Just playing good quarterback right there … It was really good to see him do that and operate at a high level," coach Nick Sirianni said. "We know he’s played a lot of games in this league, and that’s what we expected to see. He went out there and really played a nice game.”
After playing and starting 13 games for the Atlanta Falcons last season, Mariota's role will certainly be different this season with the Eagles. His status as a veteran is much-needed for the younger players on the roster.
“It’s a great opportunity for a lot of young guys," Mariota said. "It’s fun to be in a huddle with some of these guys and just trying to help operate and make sure it’s clean. For the most part, I thought we were efficient, but could have been better on a couple of penalties on the second drive that cost us some points. All in all, I feel the guys did a good job.”
As many Eagles fans can understand, having a good backup quarterback is essential for a Super Bowl roster. It could be the difference between winning and losing in the playoffs. And there may not be too many backups in the league better than Mariota.
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