Brett Favre started 297 consecutive games at quarterback in the NFL. Marcus Mariota made it five.
Mariota will miss his second straight game this week, and the Favre comparison isn't to question Mariota's toughness. He shouldn't be playing through a sprained MCL; that would be foolish for him and the Tennessee Titans. It's to show how incredibly lucky you need to get in the NFL to be healthy enough to answer the bell every week.
Mariota got hit low by Miami Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon a couple weeks ago, a play that was penalized and fined, and one of the league's bright young rookies has had to miss time as a result. Mariota practiced this week but on Friday (which is Mariota's 22nd birthday, by the way), the Titans announced that he wouldn't be playing against the Houston Texans on Sunday.
Zach Mettenberger will get the start, and hopefully for the Titans he's better off in his second start this season. The Titans had a shot to beat a sluggish Atlanta Falcons team last week, but got just one touchdown and lost 10-7. Mettenberger had just 187 yards on 35 attempts and threw two interceptions.
The Titans are 1-5 and their season isn't going anywhere, so the coaching staff is being smart putting its own interests aside and doing what's best for the future of the franchise. Mariota will return when he's ready, and the NFL will be more interesting when he is back, but it's just not worth the gamble to start him before he's 100 percent.
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