Marcus Mariota fumbled when Derrick Johnson hit him with a crushing sack in the first half of the Titans’ Wild Card Game against the Chiefs. But it couldn’t be ruled a fumble thanks to an NFL rule.
Marcus Mariota fumbled after big sack from Chiefs, but here’s why officials didn’t review it
The NFL’s rules bailed out the Titans.
Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.
The sack showed how much the Titans miss having DeMarco Murray on the field. Johnson flew right past Murray’s backup, Derrick Henry, to take Mariota down on the Kansas City 31-yard line.
Mariota lost the ball during the crushing hit, and it was recovered by Kansas City. The NFL’s rules saved Tennessee from yet another costly turnover in this game.
The Titans were able to attempt a field goal, and they finally got on the board with two minutes left in the first half to cut the Chiefs’ lead to 14-3.
It was the second promising drive for Tennessee that had an anticlimactic finish. On the previous possession, the Titans started with great field position on their own 42-yard line. Mariota threw a pick to Marcus Peters to end a six-play, 37-yard drive.
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