The Tennessee Titans certainly do not want to rush the return of Marcus Mariota, but they would also like to get their starting quarterback back on the field following a loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The quarterback has been dealing with an MCL sprain that appears to be more serious than originally expected. Mariota has gone through individual practice drills, but the team is still uncertain when a return will happen.
According to Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com, Mariota is expected to practice on Wednesday as the team hopes to get a good look at where the quarterback is in terms of health. Mariota is still healing from the knee sprain and wearing a brace to fix the issue. He has taken part in position drills and is moving well around the field, but head coach Ken Whisenhunt is not ready to make a call on whether or not he plays against the Texans.
"Having him doing normal things, like dropping back from under center, getting a sense of where that is with his knee," Whisenhunt said, via ESPN.com. "But you guys saw him last week walking around. Everything looks good. It's just some of the football stuff that you want to make sure we're OK with."
If Mariota cannot play, Zach Mettenberger would take over the quarterback job. He tossed more deep balls than Mariota normally does, but he also had two interceptions on the day. The offense can expect more of the same as Tennessee would try and utilize the arm strength of Mettenberger against the Texans considering their run defense is one of the better units in the league.
Tennessee does plan on utilizing Antonio Andrews as their leading running back in Week 8. The rusher has emerged as the best option for the team as he had 57 yards off 10 carries. The Titans only had 77 yards rushing altogether against the Falcons. Much of that can be expected against the Texans as well, but Andrews will get his carries to try and make a different.
The Titans are trying to find a leading receiver in the mix. Justin Hunter's stock continues to drop while Dorial Green-Beckham has yet to find consistency. Whisenhunt wants the rookie playing as fast as possible and he noted that making him the leader amongst the group hurts him from making the right plays. While that does not make much sense considering the Titans drafted him to be a top threat on the field, Whisenhunt is hopeful that Green-Beckham gets better over time. Until that happens, Delanie Walker and Kendall Wright are the best options.
"He's a big fast receiver and you want to see him on the football field. But that's part of the progression," Whisenhunt said, via the Tennessean. "On the NFL level, there are pretty good guys that are going against you. It's important that you line up in the right spots and get to the right depths. The timing of those things is so critical. Part of it is you have to get reps and work through it."