Marcus Mariota placed on injured reserve by Titans

Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota has been placed on injured reserve, effectively ending his season. Mariota sustained a broken right fibula and will have a plate inserted during a surgical procedure on Wednesday

The Titans were in the hunt for the playoffs when they lost Mariota in Week 16. Now, they find themselves just out of the running for a wild card spot after the Houston Texans clinched the AFC South division.

Mariota sustained the injury when Sheldon Day of the Jacksonville Jaguars rolled up on his leg after a sack in Saturday’s 38-17 loss. That was the game that also helped the Texans clinch the AFC South.

Broken fibulas can vary widely when it comes to recovery time. Because Mariota needs a plate inserted, he’s looking at a recovery time of months, not weeks, and the question as to whether or not Mariota will be able to participate in training camp is now the primary concern.

Now Matt Cassel will try and lead the Titans to a win in Week 17. Cassel, 34, has completed 58.9 percent of his passes for 17,137 yards, 102 touchdowns, and 78 interceptions in 102 career games. Cassel last played significant snaps last season with the Dallas Cowboys, where he threw five touchdowns against seven interceptions while completing just 58.3 percent of his passes.

In a corresponding move, Alex Tanney was activated from the practice squad to be the team’s backup quarterback this week.

Mariota’s season comes to an end with a 61.2 completion percentage, 3,426 yards, 26 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 15 games. He looked great, every bit like the franchise quarterback that the Titans hoped they were getting when they invested their top pick into him last year.