Marcus Mariota won’t play in Week 5’s Titans vs. Dolphins showdown

Marcus Mariota will miss the Tennessee Titans’ Week 5 game against the Miami Dolphins after suffering a hamstring strain in last week’s 57-14 loss to the Houston Texans. Veteran quarterback Matt Cassel will start in his place, and the newly signed Brandon Weeden will serve as his backup.

Mariota had been limited in the team’s practices leading up to Sunday, and head coach Mike Mularkey decided not to press the issue. As one of the league’s top scrambling quarterbacks, a hamstring injury severely saps the young passer’s effectiveness.

Mariota made it clear he wanted to play if he was healthy enough.

“I feel good at this point and time and we’ll see how it feels on Sunday,” he said Friday. “I continue to prepare each and every day and hopefully I’ll be able to go.”

But an extra week off will provide him more time to heal — though the team wouldn’t say if he’d suit up for next week’s game against the Colts.

Mariota was hurt in the second quarter and didn’t return after halftime, turning the reins over to Cassel to play out the final 30 minutes of a blowout road defeat. Through four games, the former Heisman winner’s third season has been his worst as a pro. Mariota has posted career lows in completion rate, yards per pass, and passer rating as the Titans have failed to impress in 2017.

They’re in danger of falling below .500 on Sunday with Cassel at the helm. Since 2012, the 13-year veteran is just 8-18 as a starter. He threw a pair of interceptions and completed just four of his 10 passes in last week’s loss.

However, Week 5’s opponent may not have the firepower to take advantage of the Titans’ misfortune. The Dolphins are 1-2 to start the season and have gotten little from Ryan Tannehill’s replacement Jay Cutler. Miami has thrown for just 182 yards per game, which is inexcusable for a team with weapons like Jarvis Landry, Kenny Stills, and DeVante Parker on the roster.

If Mariota misses more time, he’ll do so against more subpar competition. Tennessee’s next two games are against Indianapolis and Cleveland, two teams with just one win between them.