The Tennessee Titans managed to beat the Houston Texans despite the absence of quarterback Marcus Mariota. Head coach Mike Vrabel indicated that Mariota may still be working to get back to 100 percent after suffering an elbow injury in the 2018 NFL season opener.
He had been a game-time decision leading up to their matchup with Houston. Vrabel said during an appearance on Nashville’s 104.5 FM that Mariota has made some progress since then, via Erik Bacharach of The Tennessean:
“[Mariota’s] probably better than he was Friday or Saturday,” Vrabel said.
He was then available to play against the Texans on Sunday, Vrabel indicated, but ultimately never saw the field.
It is difficult to gauge what Vrabel's thought process could be at this point. It is a bit unorthodox to sit out his starting quarterback if he was healthy enough to play, especially against a division opponent. That said, it is indicative of either his faith in backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert or the fact that he is not trying to rush Mariota back before he is fully healthy.
Fortunately, Gabbert was able to fill his role as game-manager on Sunday. He managed to facilitate the Titans' run-heavy approach while completing 13-of-20 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. His modest production is a clear sign of what Vrabel intends to do moving forward just in case Mariota is sidelined once again. However, his comments suggest that their starter is ready to resume his post barring any setback in practice this week. The Titans offense will have their work cut out for themselves when they hot the road to square off against a formidable Jaguars defense.
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