Marcus Mariota should sit out the remainder of the season

So interim coach Mike Mularkey kept last year’s Heisman Trophy victor on the sideline instead when he hurt his right knee five minutes into the second quarter Sunday.

The Titans (3-11) have the inside track for the first overall pick in the draft. And they didn’t with backup Zach Mettenberger as the Patriots won 33-16 after going out to a 24-3 halftime lead.

“I just told you from the real source”, he said. “I’d rather err on the side of caution”.

“He will be out this week and evaluated again at the start of next week, and see where he’s at with that, ” Mularkey said of Mariota.

“I wanted to go in right away”, Mariota said, adding that he deferred to the wishes of the training staff. “I don’t expect to be out for the rest of the year”. “I know it’s not flawless, certainly a lot of things we can do better, but it’s good to be 12-2”.

In 12 games, Mariota had 19 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 2,818 yards, and a 62.2 completion percentage.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – Chandler Jones knocked the ball out of Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota’s hand, and Akiem Hicks saw it bouncing around in front of him.

Brady hit tight end Rob Gronkowski and running back James White with his 34th and 35th touchdown passes of the season – his fourth 35-touchdown season, tying him with Peyton Manning for the all-time record.Brady finished 23 of 35 for 267 yards.

New England responded immediately, capitalizing on Keshawn Martin’s 75-yard kickoff return by scoring a touchdown two plays later. Owner Amy Adams Strunk fired former Ken Whisenhunt partly because of his inability to consistently protect Mariota and his decision to keep Mariota in the game after he suffered a sprained left knee October 18.

For now, the Patriots will have to spend another week figuring out who will play next Sunday down in NY when they battle the Jets. It was his first interception this season and the third of his career.

“We’ve been able to get all three guys on the field at times and then there have been other times where we’ve kind of been in kind of a three-for-two rotation, and all three players have been very productive”, Belichick said. And in the Patriots’ newly formed backfield by committee, which also includes Brandon Bolden and Joey Iosefa, White has emerged as a big-play threat in the passing game.

– Mettenberger threw a pair of TD passes to eight end Delanie Walker while completing 20 of 28 passes for 242 yards.