DeMarco Murray Ruled Out for Titans vs. Patriots AFC Divisional Round Matchup

Tennessee Titans running back DeMarco Murray has been ruled out of Saturday's divisional round playoff game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium because of a knee injury. 

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network provided the update Wednesday.

Murray was injured during the Titans' 27-23 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 16 and hasn't returned to practice. ESPN's Adam Schefter‏ reported he's dealing with a third-degree MCL tear.

Tennessee head coach Mike Mularkey told reporters Sunday the 29-year-old rusher remains "day-to-day," which is the same label he used after the injury first occurred over two weeks ago.

Derrick Henry shined in Murray's absence as the Titans scored a 22-21 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs during Wild Card Weekend. The second-year running back ran for 156 yards—including a 35-yard touchdown run—on 23 carries and added two catches for 35 yards.

"I just wanted to go out and run hard. Run north, south, and forward," he said. "I had a lot of negative plays last week. I told you all that it didn't leave my head. It was in my head when the game kicked off. So, I just wanted to be better than I was last week."

The Titans are going to lean heavily on him against the Patriots. They don't have the firepower to keep pace with Tom Brady and the New England offense in a shootout, so they'll look to implement a run-first, ball-control approach in search of the upset.

OddsShark notes Tennessee is a 13.5-point underdog against the defending Super Bowl champions.