Marcus Mariota Expected To Miss At Least One Game For Titans With MCL Sprain

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota will miss the Titans’ home finale Sunday against the Houston Texans with a sprained MCL in his right knee.

Whether Mariota is done for the season has yet to be decided, though interim coach Mike Mularkey said the Titans will err on the side of caution.

Mularkey said Monday that Mariota will be re-evaluated after the Texans’ game with the rookie wanting to play the season finale against the Indianapolis Colts on Jan. 3. But Mularkey said Mariota has not been ruled out of the finale with an injury that is less serious than the sprained left knee that kept the quarterback out of two games earlier this season.

“Certainly if there’s any issues, if we have any concerns as we did (Sunday), we would not play him,” Mularkey said. “If there’s any way he was going to not be capable of playing, no way.”

Mariota was hurt when he was sacked for the third time at 10:32 of the second quarter in a 33-16 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday. Mularkey said the rookie wanted to return against the Patriots, but the Titans chose to protect Mariota by keeping him on the sideline.

The rookie has thrown for 2,818 yards with 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions despite being sacked 38 times this season. He is completing 62.2 percent of his passes and has a 91.5 passer rating.

Zach Mettenberger, 0-8 as a starter, will start against Houston (7-7) for his fourth start in two seasons against the AFC South rival.

Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images