NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- With an offensive outburst that featured great balance, the Tennessee Titans have arrived at midseason with a 4-4 record thanks to a 36-22 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night.

Not bad for a team that won only three games all of 2015 and just five in 2014 and 2015 combined.

Bruising running back DeMarco Murray had a big night, with 21 carries for 123 yards and a touchdown. The headliner of the Titans smashmouth offense has surpassed his 2015 totals with Philadelphia in those categories in half a season in Nashville.

And a crisp Marcus Mariota threw two touchdown passes, becoming the first Titans quarterback to throw multiple touchdowns in four consecutive games since Kerry Collins way back in 2010. Mariota finished 18-of-22 for 270 yards, without an interception or a sack.

As they recover and enjoy a mini-bye, the Titans could hold a share of first place in the AFC South come Sunday night, though they wouldn’t hold a tiebreaker with Indianapolis or Houston.

The division-leading Texans (4-3) host the Lions on Sunday; the 3-4 Colts host the Chiefs.

"There's a pack here right now at this stage of the year with a lot of teams around [the same] with wins and losses," Titans coach Mike Mularkey said. "And we're going to try to stay in it and come out of this pack at some point. We need to stay in it and we did that."

Jaguars-Titans is hardly a Thursday night ratings-grabber. But in the lone prime-time appearance for both teams this season, Tennessee played its best and distanced itself from the franchise it has been fighting with for last place in recent years.

The lead was as big as 27-0 at halftime.

Murray’s night was highlighted by a 14-yard dash to the left edge that ended with a dive inside the pylon for a score. Mariota took advantage of great protection to loft a 36-yard pass that Kendall Wright ran under in the end zone, and also fired a 4-yard scoring pass to Rishard Matthews.

Both Murray and Mariota exited the game early in the fourth quarter, replacing their helmets with light-blue baseball caps that matched the color rush uniforms.

It was the best possible way for the centerpieces of the offense to finish out the team’s second game in five days.

The reward for the win and the record is that the Titans don't have to be back at the office until Monday. They'll resume the season in San Diego against the Chargers on Nov. 6.

"Our goals are a little bit more than .500," Murray said.