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Will Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota make playoffs?

By Dan Salem

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Two elite rookie QBs start fresh in 2015, but can either rookie quarterback swing the fortunes of their football team? Will Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston get their teams to the NFL playoffs? Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Check out more of the brothers in Seesaw Sports Debate on BuzzChomp. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.

DAN:

There are two elite rookie quarterbacks starting their NFL careers with losing teams this season. Both Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston will electrify Twitter feeds and news tickers, regardless of their performance. But can either quarterback get their respective teams to the 2015 NFL Playoffs?

The season begins with the Tennessee Titans squaring off with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mariota versus Winston gets the full spotlight, but only one player and his team has a legit shot at the playoffs, in my opinion.

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I’ll start in the AFC, where Marcus Mariota will lead the Tennessee Titans into a relatively difficult schedule. After a mere two victories last season, the Titans have a lot of work to do in order to make the complete turnaround. They must face the AFC East, where each team is having its own unique resurgence. Maritoa will struggle against their defenses. The Titans also get Indianapolis twice, plus the Falcons, Panthers, and Browns.

Without a dominating run game, or defense to lean on, I can’t see Mariota leading his Titans to the playoffs. In Tampa Bay, however, a very different picture has been painted.

The NFC is full of stellar teams, but the Buccaneers find themselves in last season’s weakest division. From top to bottom, the NFC South is full of question marks. Jameis Winston and his Bucs have a much easier go of it with the schedule, facing a split NFC East and a sprinkle of other teams with questionable strength. Chicago, Houston, and St. Louis could all be good, or not so much.

I am big Mike Evans fan, and see a lot of potential in Tampa’s offense with Doug Martin in the backfield and Vincent Jackson across the field from Evans. As long as the defense can hold things together, the Bucs have a shot at their division.

If I’m sizing up the two rookies, Jameis Winston and the Buccaneers are my pick for the playoffs in 2015.

May 26, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans first round draft pick quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) passes during OTA drills at Saint Thomas Sports Park. Mandatory Credit:

Jim Brown

-USA TODAY Sports

TODD:

This seems like an unfair comparison simply because of the divisions the two players are in and nothing more. I actually like Tennessee to improve this year, but it won’t be enough to challenge for a division title. And realistically I think both Mariota and Winston could struggle mightily in their rookie years, making a playoff berth for either quite a long-shot.

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That said, I’m not one to shy away from hypotheticals. As overall rosters, I think the Titans are the better ball club everywhere besides wide receiver.

There is a reason Doug Martin lost so much playing time in 2014; he isn’t a full-time back. I’d rather have Bishop Sankey moving forward and expect him to make some marked improvements this year. Tennessee also has the clear advantage along the offensive line and at tight end.

On defense, Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David are a better pairing than anything the Titans cane come up with, but I worry about the rest of the unit. NFL defenses can’t be a stars-and-scrubs group like a fantasy football team. Meanwhile, Tennessee worked this offseason to dramatically improve its defensive secondary, which should morph into a good one in 2015. Taking a chance on Brian Orakpo was also a good gamble.

The Titans have some good wide receivers too, just no one with the elite ceiling of Mike Evans. For argument’s sake and since we don’t yet know any different, let’s call the quarterback battle a wash. In the end that means the Titans are clearly the superior football team. If I was picking which team would win more games, just one number against the other, Tennessee would be the easy pick. That’s not what the question was though. If I had to take one team to make the playoffs, it would be Tampa Bay. It just looks like Tennessee has no shot because of its circumstances.

Dan Salem is a Staff Writer for NFL Spinzone. He’s also Lead Editor, Staff Writer, and Featured Vlogger at BuzzChomp, and a New York Jets Analyst for Pro Football Spot. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or Instagram.

Todd Salem is a Staff Writer for NFL Spinzone. He’s also a Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp, a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report, and an Analyst for Tipster Labs, among others. Follow him on Twitter.

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