NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota's status for next Monday's game against the Texans will be determined during the course of the week, coach Mike Vrabel said on Monday.
Mariota left the Sunday's game vs. the Colts with what was announced at Lucas Oil Stadium an elbow injury, and he did not return.
Vrabel shed further light on the injury during a press conference today. He called it a "stinger."
"He is getting treatment, and it's really not even the elbow," Vrabel said. "He got a stinger. When the guy hit him in the head, he got a stinger. So then he was evaluated by the independent neurologist, and he was cleared. He is not in the concussion protocol or anything like that. So we'll have to see where he's at. It may include, like a lot of injuries, getting a second opinion and making sure he is OK to play."
Mariota did not speak to reporters after the game, as he was getting treatment. He also wasn't available in the locker room on Monday.
Mariota was injured late in the first half when he was sacked, and he was replaced by back-up quarterback Blaine Gabbert. Gabbert started the second half for the Titans, while Mariota watched from the sideline.
With 16 seconds left in the first half, Mariota was injured after being hit by Colts defensive lineman Tyquan Lewis. Mariota remained on the field while trainers tended to him, and he was seen shaking his right arm. He eventually headed to the locker room before halftime. The team initially announced the injury as an elbow injury, leading many to believe it was the same injury that left him feeling numbness in Week One.
"When you have a stinger, there is numbness -- it goes from your neck and down your arm," Vrabel said. "When you get your neck twisted and you suffer some inflammation, that is what happens, and it is no different with linebacker and DBs or any other position."
Mariota completed 10-of-13 passes in the first half, for 85 yards in the team's eventual 38-10 loss to the Colts. He was sacked four times.
Gabbert completed 11-of-16 passes for 118 yards with a touchdown and interception after taking over for Mariota.
The Titans return to practice on Wednesday as preparation for Monday's game in Houston heats up.
"I am hopeful -- we saw him this morning and we are hopeful that he'll check out and he'll feel good enough to play on Monday," Vrabel said. "But being less than 24 hours after the game, some of these things take a little bit of time to kind of cool down and really just treat and diagnose.
"We just have to make sure that he is healthy enough to play, and if he is not then we have to make sure that we get somebody in here. But again, we just have to give this thing another day, and make sure that the doctors that are seeing him, and Marcus, and whether he gets a second opinion or not – all those things take a little bit of time and hopefully we can know sometime tomorrow before we start moving into Wednesday."
