Mariota questionable
Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota’s knee was injured when he was sacked Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. He has been sacked 19 times this season.
NASHVILLE — Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota has a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee, an MRI exam confirmed Monday, and his availability for Sunday’s game against the Falcons is in question.
“But he’s walking around the facility here today just fine,” Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt said Monday, “so as the week progresses we’ll see how it goes and see if he has a chance to play.”
Mariota was injured on a low, late hit by Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon in the second quarter of the Titans’ 38-10 loss Sunday at Nissan Stadium. Mariota, the second overall pick in this year’s draft, was tended to on the field by medical personnel but remained in the game and went on to commit four turnovers.
Vernon was flagged for roughing the passer on the play and was called for a second personal foul later in the game.
“He’s a tough kid and I know he didn’t want to come out” of the game, Whisenhunt said of Mariota. “But you’ve got to make sure that the toughness doesn’t cloud your thinking and put him in there at risk. I didn’t feel like, from talking with the trainers and talking with Marcus, that that was the case.”
Mariota completed 21 of 33 passes for 219 yards, a touchdown, two interceptions and two fumbles. He had a 67.6 passer rating when he was removed late in the fourth quarter.
Zach Mettenberger, a sixth-round draft pick in 2014, will start Sunday against the Falcons if Mariota is unable to play. He entered Sunday’s game for the Titans’ final possession against the Dolphins and completed 5 of 8 passes for 63 yards.
Mettenberger started six of the seven games he appeared in last season. He completed 59.8 percent of his passes for 1,412 yards, eight touchdowns, seven interceptions and an 84.4 passer rating. The Titans lost each game on the way to a 2-14 record.
Practice reps this week will be determined by Mariota’s ability, Whisenhunt said.
“A lot of it’s going to depend on how he does tomorrow (Tuesday) and where we feel like he can be Wednesday,” Whisenhunt said. “So I think that Zach has done a nice job of preparing as much as he can, but we’ll split the reps accordingly based on what we think that Marcus can do.”
Mariota has been sacked 19 times this season. He’s lost an NFL-high four of his five fumbles. The Titans (1-4) have lost four games in a row and eight consecutive at home.
Protecting Mariota will be a bigger challenge with center Brian Schwenke lost for the rest of the season with a dislocated left ankle, His replacement is rookie Andy Gallik, giving the Titans two rookie starters on the offensive line with right tackle Jeremiah Poutasi.
“It’s got to be better than it was yesterday, and that has to happen this week,” Whisenhunt said.