Tennessee Titans Quarterback Marcus Mariota was injured in the second quarter against New England. Should the Titans play it safe and end his season?

Marcus Mariota’s season is likely over. The Tennessee Titans’ rookie quarterback reportedly suffered an MCL injury in Sunday’s loss to the New England Patriots. The injury was sustained to his right knee, not the left knee, which forced him to the sidelines for a pair of games early in the season. With the Titans entering week 16 with a 3-11 record, risking further damage to either one of Mariota’s knees would be a questionable decision.

Mariota took a handful of hits early in Sunday’s game and completed 3 of 6 passes before leaving the game. He also lost a fumble, his 6th of the season (tied for highest in the league). He has thrown 19 touchdowns, only 6 less than Peyton Manning’s 25 as a rookie (an NFL record). Despite the low number of wins during a rebuilding year for the Titans, the Hawaiian showed flashes of brilliance. He broke multiple NFL records along the way, and showed that he can develop into a top-tier quarterback.

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The Titans will soon enter a crucial off-season in which the first task will be to hire a new head coach after the team fired Ken Whisenhunt mid-season. Once healthy, as he did at Oregon, Mariota will certainly make big strides in between seasons.

Mariota will likely finish the season with 19 touchdowns and almost 3,000 yards passing. He completed 62 percent of passes. The Titans host the Texans and visit the Indianapolis Colts to close out the 2015 season.