Marcus Mariota's rookie season has come to an abrupt halt
Mariota sprained his right MCL during Week 15 against the Patriots, and ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports his season is over.
Mariota had previously sprained his left MCL earlier in the season.
With only two more weeks left in the season, it's not worth risking Mariota's long-term development to trot him out with a bad knee on a 3-11 team.
Although the Titans had a rough season, Mariota has had an impressive rookie season. In 12 games, Mariota threw for over 2,800 yards with a 62% completion percentage, 19 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Among the highlights of his season was a perfect NFL-debut, throwing 209 yards on a 87% completion rate, four touchdowns, and no interceptions with a perfect 158.3 passer rating. He also rattled off an 87-yard rushing touchdown in Week 13, the longest of quarterbacks this season.
Titans backup quarterback Zach Mettenberger is expected to start the last two games of the season.