Marcus Mariota’s status uncertain for Sunday after low hit injures knee
The low hit on Marcus Mariota that the Tennessee Titans were so upset about might cost them their quarterback for at least a game.
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Mariota has a sprained MCL, the team announced, and his status for Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons is uncertain. The injury happened when Miami Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon hit Mariota low. Vernon apologized, Mariota said, but Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt was upset and accused Vernon of trying to injure his quarterback.
“I think it was BS,” Whisenhunt said after the game, according to the Tennessean. “I think it should be taken out of the game. That’s not the way you play football. I think it was done with the idea of trying to hurt our quarterback, and that’s (BS) football.”
Vernon insisted in a Twitter message that he meant no harm.
Mariota was tended to by the athletic trainers and stayed in, which is a testament to his toughness. But the Titans aren’t going to take any chances with their franchise quarterback now that they know he has a sprained MCL. Tennessee is 1-4 and has an intriguing young backup in Zach Mettenberger, who was the Titans’ starter last year as a rookie. So the Titans have reasons to be cautious, but it sounded like Mariota wasn’t in bad shape on Monday.
“He’s walking around the facility today just fine,’’ Whisenhunt said of Mariota, according to the team’s site. “As the week progresses we’ll see how it goes and see if he has a chance to play.”
Now comes the question of if the NFL will punish Vernon for the hit. Vernon doesn’t have a bad reputation in NFL circles, but he got called twice for roughing the passer, including the play that injured Mariota. The NFL usually doesn’t take kindly to illegal hits that cause quarterback injuries, whether they were intentional or not.
Vernon will wait to hear from the NFL. The Titans will wait to see if their prized rookie quarterback can start on Sunday.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
