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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Last year the Titas failed to win the AFC South because of a failure in Miami, which was largely determined by an incomplete pass by Matt Cassel being ruled a fumble and getting returned for a touchdown.

We're a long way off from knowing the fate of the 2018 Titans, but it's possible they look back on a bad call in Miami messing them up again.

William Hayes third-quarter hit on Marcus Mariota that messed up his elbow should have been a penalty, the NFL told Mike Vrabel. Mariota said Hayes told him after the game he didn't mean to hit him low.

The resulting injury left Mariota with limited feeling in his throwing hand, and grip issues led to back-to-back interceptions before he was pulled from the game.

Mariota was carrying out a run fake after a handoff to Derrick Henry, but the play had developed enough that it was clear the quarterback did not have the ball and should have been off limits.

Additionally, Vrabel finally heard back from the league on the questions he sent in following the Aug. 25 preseason game in Pittsburgh.

New York told Vrabel that eight of the 10 plays he questioned were judged incorrectly.

I personally like the league coming back to a coach and admitting mistakes, though a lot of people on my Twitter timeline bemoan it and say it means nothing now. It's better than silence.

Now, what's the consequence for Jerome Boger and his crew for allowing the hit on Mariota? And why is that a secret?

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Paul Kuharsky has covered the Tennessee Titans since 1996, first for The Tennessean, then ESPN.com and now independently at paulkuharsky.com. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee and one of the longest-tenured Titans beat reporters in the franchise's history.

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