Titans' Marcus Mariota catches break after colliding with teammate vs. Browns

It’s sometimes better to be lucky than good. Just ask Marcus Mariota.

The Heisman Trophy winner is struggling after his perfect debut last weekend, but he caught a break when his second fumble of the day was waved off.

With the Tennessee Titans trailing 14-0 late in the second half Sunday, Mariota was scrambling to avoid pressure when he appeared to collide with one of his lineman. The ball popped up in the air, and the Cleveland Browns recovered it in Tennessee territory.

But officials waved off the fumble, saying a delay-of-game penalty had been called before the snap. It didn’t appear that anyone had heard the whistle, but the Titans took the 5-yard penalty without question.

They would be forced to punt three plays later, but better than watching Cleveland score again.