Mariota said Wednesday in an interview with 104.5 The Zone Nashville that the elbow stinger he suffered in Saturday's 25-16 win over the Redskins resulted in the right side of his body becoming "numb and tingly," Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports. "I'll do everything in my power to see if I can go [Week 17 against the Colts]," Mariota said. "Again, it is just taking it one day at a time."
Mariota's comments regarding the injury aren't nearly as optimistic as those from coach Mike Vrabel two days earlier, when Vrabel indicated the quarterback's latest elbow setback wasn't related to the one from earlier in the season that limited him to a backup role Week 2 against the Texans. The 25-year-old noted that a better idea regarding his availability for a de facto play-in game for the postseason this weekend won't come into focus for a few more days, with Mariota's activity in practices Wednesday through Friday likely to hold significant weight in how the Titans to decide to proceed with him. Given that the Titans have already added another signal-caller (Austin Davis) to the roster, it seems that at the very least, there's some early apprehension about Mariota's ability to suit up in Week 17. If Mariota ends up sitting out, Blaine Gabbert would be called upon for his second start of the campaign.