PLAYER NOTES
–RB David Fluellen was placed on injured reserve after his knee failed to respond following several weeks on the shelf.
–OLB Sharif Finch, who missed last week’s game after suffering a shoulder injury against the Giants, was a full participant in practice on Wednesday.
–OLB Brian Orakpo remains out of practice with an elbow injury. Orakpo is a free agent at the end of the season, and if the Titans do not win and reach the playoffs, Sunday night could be his last game with the Titans.
–OLB LaTroy Lewis was promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster by the Titans on Christmas Eve to give the team some depth there due to injuries.
–DT Jurrell Casey, a four-time Pro Bowl pick and the Titans’ best defensive player, was lost to a knee injury against the Redskins last Saturday. He was placed on injured reserve.
–TE Cole Wick, who was hurt the first day the Titans practiced him after signing him off the 49ers practice squad, was put on IR to create a roster spot. Wick suffered a shoulder injury.
–QB Marcus Mariota, battling a neck stinger and issues in his right arm, did not practice on Wednesday, but could get some work on Thursday.
–QB Austin Davis, who was with the Titans briefly earlier this season, was re-signed by the team on Monday as insurance at the position.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: QB Marcus Mariota will have all eyes upon him, and how effective he can be Sunday night, possibly playing at less than 100 percent with his right arm still having on-again, off-again issues with stingers and numbness. While the Titans won’t give away secrets on his condition, it is expected that with the stakes so high, Mariota would have to be prevented from playing by the medical staff in order not to be the Titans starting quarterback with the playoffs hanging in the balance Sunday night.
GAME PLAN: Offensively, with Mariota in question, and the passing game already inconsistent, the Titans probably should continue feeding Derrick Henry the football. They need to be able to throw the ball consistently enough and well enough to keep the Colts defense honest, so they don’t stack the box. Henry had just nine carries in the first meeting with the Colts, but that was before he found his groove in December, when the Titans have needed him most to help carry the offense during this four-game winning streak.
Defensively, the Titans barely touched Andrew Luck in the first meeting and he shredded them with big plays, as he always seems to do. Without Jurrell Casey, the Titans have to find some way to manufacture some pressure without getting burned by Luck on those blitzes.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Titans CB Adoree’ Jackson vs. Colts WR T.Y. Hilton. Hilton owned Jackson in the first meeting, as the Titans cornerback was not up to the task of controlling the Colts’ best wideout. Of course, some of that had to do with the fact that Tennessee generated no pass rush. Still, Jackson should be eager for this chance at redemption. Containing the Colts’ big-play offense is a key to staying in this game with a chance at the end.
–Titans RB Derrick Henry vs. Colts LB Darius Leonard. Leonard has been a nice find for the Colts as a rookie on their revamped defense. The Titans would dearly love for Henry to pound the football for 20-plus carries and 100 or more yards, because that would not only move the ball for Tennessee, but likely would win time of possession and keep Andrew Luck on the sideline.
