For Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota, there’s one more thing left for him to do before he feels that he’s fully recovered from a season-ending leg injury he suffered last year – and that’s to play in a regular season NFL game.

Speaking to Cameron Wolfe of ESPN, the former Heisman Trophy winner and Oregon Duck said that he’s looking forward to the Titans’ showdown with Derek Carr and the Oakland Raiders in Week 1.

“This is probably the last benchmark. This is my thing. This is what I worked for all offseason to be prepared for,” Mariota said. “I can't wait. It's been a long road. I look forward to being out there and having fun.”

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An appearance in that game for Mariota would be his first in a regular season setting since breaking his right fibula during a Christmas Eve matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars last season.

Mariota has had actual live-game participations, having played in Tennessee’s first three preseason games in the summer. Against the Chicago Bears in Week 3, Mariota showed just how ready his body is for another year of football grind when he went 12 of 21 on his passing attempts for 193 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. He also took to the ground for 16 rushing yards on six carries.

Before getting shelved for good last year, Mariota compiled 3,426 passing yards with 26 touchdowns and nine picks. He also ran for 349 rushing yards with a pair of touchdowns. He’s going to be surrounded with better weapons this coming season, so much is expected of Mariota and the Titans, who are perceived by some experts as a sleeper in the NFC.