It's Zach Mettenberger's team now. The Tennessee Titans are, according to a report from NFL.com's Rand Getlin, likely to be without quarterback and recent first round selection, quarterback Marcus Mariota, for the remainder of the 2015 NFL season.
I'm told #Titans QB Marcus Mariota suffered a sprained MCL yesterday and isn't expected to play again this season.
— Rand Getlin (@Rand_Getlin) December 21, 2015
Per Getlin, Mariota has a sprained MCL, which means a partial tear, and it's unlikely that the team will risk suiting him up again this season. Mariota was injured during the Titans' loss to the New England Patriots, 33-16, on Sunday. It marked the second time this season that Mariota has suffered a knee injury - he missed two weeks after being taken down awkwardly by Miami's Olivier Vernon in an Oct. 18 loss.
Mariota, the second pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, has lived up to the hype and then some for the Titans this season. Through 12 games of his rookie season, the former Oregon Duck standout has looked every bit the kind of franchise signal-caller the team and, whoever the head coach winds up being, can grow with.
Mariota collected 230 completions on 370 passing attempts for 2,818 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions behind a leaky Titans offensive line this year. Playing with a limited cast as players like David Cobb nursed injuries and Dorial Green-Beckham worked his way through rookie growing pains, Mariota still managed an efficient, and at times explosive, debut.
With Mariota on the shelf, Mettenberger looks ready to take the helm of the Titans offense for the remainder of the year. Mettenberger, a sixth-round pick last season, had appeared in four games already this season, and added another 20 completions for 242 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions to his year-to-date stats.
For the season, Mettenberger has 69 completions for 663 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions. Many assumed that Mettenberger would be in the mix for the starting gig this season before Mariota's drafting, and he'll get his chance to show the Titans - and the league's 31 other teams - what he's capable of over the final two weeks of the year.
