Marcus Mariota has a sprained knee, but Mularkey doesn't think it's serious
The Tennessee Titans lost to the Arizona Cardinals, 12-7, on Sunday afternoon, dropping themselves a game back of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South race. They got worse news on Sunday, though, with Marcus Mariota's injury.
Coach Mike Mularkey said after the game that Mariota had played despite an injured knee, which contributed to his poor performance (16 of 31 for 159 yards and two interceptions). Luckily, Mularkey said Monday that though Mariota suffered a sprained knee, he does not believe the injury is serious.
Titans HC Mike Mularkey said Marcus Mariota has a sprained left knee, and he does not believe the injury to be serious. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 11, 2017
Mariota was not the only starter that suffered an injury during the game. Left tackle Taylor Lewan left the game due to an injury of his own. According to Mularkey, Lewan's injury is not as serious as it could've potentially been, either.
#Titans LT Taylor Lewan has a soft tissue issue in his lower back, an MRI revealed. Source said it’s not long-term or surgical. Best-case. — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 11, 2017
The Titans currently occupy the No. 5 seed in the AFC. They have a pretty tough schedule over the final few years of the season, though, with games against the suddenly-frisky 49ers, the Rams, and the Jaguars.
Their playoff fate may come down to that season finale, and they'll obviously need both their left tackle and their quarterback on the field. On that front, they've got to be encouraged by the news they got on Monday.