visit to Eagle Farm and only his fourth start, Meagher said.I have no doubt he is a horse who can win a good race up to 1600 metres.Trainer Kelly Schweida admitted he agonised over which

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Marcus Mariota has thrown himself into the company of the NFLs best quarterbacks, both past and present, just 24 games into his career.If he keeps playing this way, the Tennessee Titans believe their second-year quarterback just might lead them to the playoffs for the first time since 2008.Hes doing what we all thought he was going to do this year, center Ben Jones said. Great composure, guy you trust with the ball at all times, and hes making plays.He sure is.Mariota is a big reason why the Titans (6-6) sit only a half-game out of first in the AFC South at their bye, winners of five of their past eight.The 2014 Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 2 pick overall in 2015 out of Oregon struggled during a 1/3 start with four fumbles and five interceptions -- five returned for touchdowns.Since then, Mariota has thrown 21 TD passes with only three interceptions while also running for two more touchdowns. The Titans have gone three straight games without a single turnover.The skys the limit with Marcus, tight end Delanie Walker said.Left tackle Taylor Lewan: Hes a quarterback Ill play for as long as theyll allow me to.Mariotas production has been impressive so far:- Second in the AFC and fifth overall with a 101.9 passer rating this season.- His 25 TD passes trail only New Orleans Drew Brees (30), Green Bays Aaron Rodgers (27) and Atlantas Matt Ryan (26) this season. In franchise history, only George Blanda and Warren Moon have thrown more TD passes in a season.- Ranks fourth in the NFL for most passes of at least 20 yards or longer with 46.- Perfect inside an opponents 20-yard line for his career with 32 TD passes and no interceptions.- Posted a 100 passer rating or better with multiple TD passes in 10 games in his career, something only Dan Marino (14), Russell Wilson (12) and Kurt Warner (11) did during their first two NFL seasons.- On a streak with eight straight games with two or more TD passes, only the second quarterback to have such a streak in his first or second NFL season. Marino had 10 in 1984 in Miami. Mariotas eight-game streak is the NFLs longest since Tom Brady did it in nine consecutive games to start the 2015 season for New England.Mariota heard of that last streak after the Titans held onto a 27-21 win at Chicago last week. He said as a kid he grew up wishing he might be mentioned with some of those quarterbacks.As an athlete, I think you have to have the confidence and belief in yourself, Mariota said. To say I had envisioned joining some of these names would be tough to say.But I really believe in myself, and I hold myself to a high standard. The expectation for me is to be able to consistently be the best player that my team needs me to be. Going forward, Ill continue to do that.Better than Mariotas play may be the confidence he has given his teammates. This franchise won five games combined the past two seasons, and their only winning record since 2008 was 2011 when the Titans missed the playoffs at 9-7 on a tiebreaker.I think guys are starting to understand that we could be in the playoffs, Walker said.Coach Mike Mularkey, given the full-time job in January, and first-year general manager Jon Robinson gave Mariota help. Mularkey simplified both the language and his playbook.Robinson brought in 23 new players to start the season and cut starting cornerback Perrish Cox on Monday to help a defense ranked 25th against the pass.With Jones one of two new starters on the offensive line, Tennessee ranks seventh, allowing only 18 sacks after giving up an NFL-worst 54 in 2015.DeMarco Murray, picked up by Robinson from Philadelphia in a March trade, has made a strong case for NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Murray has run for 1,043 yards, second-best in the NFL, and also has 45 catches for 309 yards and three more scores.Along with Mariota and rookie Derrick Henry, the Titans rank third in averaging 141.5 yards rushing per game. Thats their best since 2009 when Chris Johnson ran for 2,006 yards to salvage a 0-6 start.Coordinator Dick LeBeaus defense ranks fifth with 30 sacks and eighth against the run.The Titans go into their bye a half-game out of first in the AFC South, though 1/3 in the division. They host Denver (7-4) with road trips at Kansas City (8-3) and Jacksonville (2-9) before Houston visits Jan. 1 with the division title possibly on the line.Were right where we want to be, Jones said.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL .---Follow Teresa M. Walker at www.twitter.com/teresamwalkerChina Custom Jerseys Store . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. Cheap Custom Jerseys China . Scott won the Australian PGA last week in his first event in Australia since winning the U.S. Masters in April. American Matt Kuchar, ahead by two strokes with four to play and even with Scott with one to go, double-bogeyed the 18th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker. http://www.jerseyscustom.us/custom-san-francisco-49ers-jerseys/ . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. Cheap Custom Jerseys . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. Wholesale Custom Jerseys . Its the second straight game Bell has scored in extra time for Kelowna, which beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-5 on Friday, and he now has four game-winning goals on the season.Apprentice Luke Tarrant has ridden his first feature winner since returning from a long suspension as Cylinder Beach continued trainer Desleigh Forsters impressive start to the Brisbane summer carnival.Cylinder Beach ($8.50) charged through the pack to beat a brave Hopfgartern ($5.50) by 1-1/2 lengths in the Listed Recognition Stakes (1400m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.Tarrant was Brisbanes leading junior rider during his apprenticeship, winning the 2015 Magic Millions Classic and the 2014 Group Two Villiers at Randwick.His career ran off the rails when he was banned for eight months on drug offences and he didnt return until late August.It is great to be back riding in big races aboard good horses such as Cylinder Beach, Tarrant said.Forster won last weeks Keith Noud Quality with another of her four-year-olds in Too Good To Refuse but she will keep the horses apart.Cylinder Beach won the Group Three Gunsynd Classic as a three-year-old last season and Forster believes he is headed towards more stakes success.I will keep Too Good To Refuse and Cylinder Beach apart until the winter and I think we might head to the Villiers in Sydney next month, Forstter said.dddddddddddd.But it will all depend on how much weight he is likely to get in Brisbane in the coming weeks.Trainer Robert Heathcote was thrilled with the run of Hopfgarten who had to give the winner 6kg.Promising Billy the Kid ($3.10) put his name forward as a possible contender for the Magic Millions Guineas in January with his win in a support race.Trainer Chris Meagher said Billy the Kid was still learning what racing was all about.It is the exciting thing about him. It was only his second visit to Eagle Farm and only his fourth start, Meagher said.I have no doubt he is a horse who can win a good race up to 1600 metres.Trainer Kelly Schweida admitted he agonised over which race in which to start Stella Ombre ($3.50) before going with the Winning Edge Handicap (1000m).I kept studying both fields and finally decided there was more pace in the 1000-metre race which would suit him, Schweida said.It was the way it turned out with Stella Ombre charging home to win in the last stride from Lady Jettsetter ($2.40). ' ' '