NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Following the first loss of his NFL career, Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota isn't suffering from a bruised ego.
The ankle injury he suffered in Sunday's 28-14 loss to the Browns isn't bothering him either --- Mariota practiced on Wednesday.
"I feel fine,'' Mariota said. "It's part of the game. It's a contact sport. I feel good."
Mariota went above and beyond in taking the blame for the problems on offense against the Browns, when he was sacked seven times, and fumbled three times.
The Titans face the Colts on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
Mariota said he has to make quicker decisions moving forward. And he said he has to do a better job of keeping both hands on the football. Holding the football with one hand has been "a bad habit,' he said.
"That's all on me. I can do a lot better job with helping those guys with protections, in terms of cadence, getting the ball out, and not taking unnecessary sacks. So everything that happened is definitely on me,'' Mariota said.
"I think for us, it is about getting better at it. But for me, a lot of that is on me, just getting the ball out quick and helping them out. … The pass rush (in the NFL) is relentless, it's every down. You've got to get used to it. I'll do a better job for sure."
Coach Ken Whisenhunt said Mariota is hardly to blame for all the sacks on Sunday. Earlier in the week, Whisenhunt said the entire offense needs to be quicker operating prior to the snap, which should solve some of the issues.
"That's the way Marcus has been from the start, and that's why guys love him I guess,'' Whisenhunt said of Mariota's accountability. "He believes that, and some of it was on him. But some of it was on the o-line, some of it was on us as a team because we didn't get to the line fast enough and handle it well. Hopefully we'll get better."
Mariota has posted an NFL best 129.9 passer rating in his first two NFL games. He's the first quarterback in NFL history to throw six touchdowns in his first NFL starts.
On Wednesday, Mariota said he's not worried about the stats.
He's also not concerned with the Colts streak of seven straight wins over the Titans, and wins in 12 of the last 13 games in the series.
"I don't really honestly care about statistics, I am more about winning football games,'' Mariota said of his hot start.
As for the team's recent history against the Colts, Mariota said: "What happened in the past is in the past, and right now it is about us and this team and taking it one day at a time."
