On August 18, 2018 at 8 P.M. EST the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face the Tennessee Titans.The debate of Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota will live on. This became unearthed when Winston received a three game suspension in June from the NFL for violating the player conduct policy.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ star quarterback Jameis Winston looked sharp last week against the Miami Dolphins. He completed 11/13 passes for 102 yards, no interceptions, no fumbles and no touchdowns.

History Lesson

The Tennessee Titans were previously known as the Houston Oilers and part of the American Football League (AFL). The Oilers won the first two AFL championships then joined the National Football league in 1970. In 1997, the Oilers relocated from Houston Texas to Memphis Tennessee where they then became the Tennessee Oilers. They would eventually relocate to Nashville Tennessee in 1999 and became who we now know as the Tennessee Titans.

The Titans have only appeared in one Super Bowl which was the same year they changed their name from the Oilers to the Titans. They would go on to lose to the greatest show on turf, the St. Louis Rams. That game truly showed that football games are decided by inches.

Series History

The Buccaneers opened their first season in 1976 playing the Oilers where they lost 20-0. The offense was extremely bad in that game and that is putting it lightly, The Buccaneers only averaged about two yards per play. Quarterback Steve Spurrier completed 8/21 passes for 36 yards. Running backs Jimmy Debose and Louis Carter only rushed for 12 yards on 15 carries.

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The Buccaneers and Titans/Oilers have only played each other 11 times in the regular season from 1976 to present. The Titans currently hold the series lead winning nine out of the 11 games. The Buccaneers won in 1987 33-24 and then again in 2007 with a score of 13-10.

Last Time They Went Head to Head

The last time these teams met was on September 13, 2015 which was the first regular season game in the NFL for both Winston and Mariota. The Titans handled the Buccaneers and won 42-14. Winston’s first pass in the NFL was picked off and returned for a touchdown.

Jameis Winston

Went 16/33 for 210 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Marcus Mariota

Went 13/15 for 209 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

This was a game many Bucs fans wanted to forget. After the game Lovie Smith used the phrase “we weren’t Tennessee ready”.

This next matchup is just a preseason game, where both starting quarterbacks won’t see much action, and will only play about a quarter of the game. That’s not to say that the Winston vs. Mariota battle will not still be a headline for this pre-season. This will be the third time we’ve seen these two top draft picks go head to head dating back to the Rose Bowl in 2014.

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Christian Worthen has been a fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for 22 years. He currently is a contributor/writer for Full Press Coverage Tampa Bay Buccaneers. To see more of his work or the work by Full Press Coverage follow @FPC_Buccanners on Twitter.