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Chris Mortensen is reporting that Marcus Mariota is not expected to play tonight:
Marcua Mariota not expected to play tonight for Titans vs. Colts in AFC South game in which winner advances to playoffs. Mariota's "stinger" puts him at risk for further damage, per sources. Blaine Gabbert expected to start. More to come on @ESPN and Sunday NFL Countdown.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) December 30, 2018
I think the “stinger” in quotation marks says a lot. I am no doctor, but I think it is safe to say at this point that Mariota isn’t suffering from a stinger. This is still, in my uneducated mind, a lingering effect from the injury he suffered to his ulnar nerve in week 1 against the Dolphins.
My hope here is that the Titans have known this all week and have been game planning for Blaine Gabbert to be the quarterback. If the report of fear of further damage is true, I have to believe they have known all week. Maybe having Marcus Mariota out there on a limited basis on Thursday and Friday was just gamesmanship.
I wish I could put a positive spin on this, but I just can’t do it. Here’s to hoping Gabbert has a back-up miracle in him!