Titans' Locker needs more tests, team playing 'waiting game'
As the Tennessee Titans began preparation for Sunday's showdown with the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs on Monday, quarterback Jake Locker was released from the hospital with swelling in his right hip and knee.
Head coach Mike Munchak didn't have an update as to the extent of Locker's injury after the game or Monday at his press conference.
"The good thing is, from what we've seen so far ... there's nothing obvious there," Munchak said.
Locker will have a follow-up evaluation Tuesday, when an MRI will be repeated on his hip. Because of excessive swelling in his hip, tests will be repeated. Until the team gets those results, "we won't speculate" on how long he could be out.
"We have to make sure sometihng is being missed because of trauma to the area," Munchak said. "It'll just be a little bit of a waiting game."
One report that didn't identify the exact injury claimed Locker could miss 1-2 months.
All signs point to Ryan Fitzpatrick starting the Week 5 game in Nashville against the undefeated Chiefs. The Titans said initial X-rays at the stadium were negative. The team was awaiting results of an MRI.
Locker was carted off the field with a right hip injury in a 38-13 manhandling of the New York Jets.
Locker, who was 18-of-24 for 149 yards and three first-half touchdowns, left with 11:14 remaining in the third quarter. While throwing an incomplete pass intended for Nate Washington, he was drilled by Muhammad Wilkerson and then hit by Quinton Coples.
Locker went down, clutching his hip, and barely moved. Most of his teammates surrounded him by the time he was loaded on the cart, and the crowd of 69,143 gave him a warm ovation. Locker, showing marked improvement in his third season with six touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 99.0 passer rating, has been the offensive MVP in the Titans' 3-1 start.
"Jake's grown a lot," Washington said. "He's able to do a lot of things now that he wasn't able to do in the past. He understands the offense, he understands the game, it's kind of slowed down for him."
