AFC South has turned into a three-way race
Parity rears its head in tight division as Jags and Titans pressure defending champions
The last time the Texans played at Seattle, the Astros played in the World Series against the Chicago White Sox.
The Texans and Astros better improve on those 2005 performances when the Seahawks prevailed 42-10 and the White Sox won four consecutive games and their first World Series since 1917.
While the Texans spent the weekend resting before they begin preparing for Seattle, being idle dropped them out of a three-way tie for first place in the AFC South.
Jacksonville and Tennessee won Sunday to increase their records to 4-3, giving them a half-game lead over the Texans, who are 3-3 after winning three of rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson’s five starts.
The Jaguars’ 27-0 victory at Indianapolis left the Colts (2-5)
in last place.
The Titans escaped Cleveland with a 12-9 overtime victory to stay even with Jacksonville.
At this point in the season, about the only thing we know for sure about the AFC South is the Colts won’t contend for the division title without injured quarterback Andrew Luck. And no one has a clue when Luck will
return to practice, much less play in a game for the first time since last season.
So, for purposes of analyzing the AFC South and trying to determine if the Texans can win it for a third consecutive season, let’s forget about the Colts.
The Texans, Jaguars and Titans have shown they’re capable of winning the division. They’ve played each other one time.
The Jaguars pulverized the Texans 29-7.
The Titans obliterated the Jaguars 37-16.
The Texans destroyed the Titans 57-14.
Which makes for some interesting revenge games.
Similar philosophies
Coaches for the Texans, Jaguars and Titans — Bill O’Brien, Doug Marrone and Mike Mularkey — have similar philosophies. They like to run the ball. They want to control the clock, keep the defense offbalance and take pressure off the quarterback.
Going into the weekend, the Jaguars were first in rushing, the Texans second and the Titans sixth.
Tennessee’s running game was shut down at Cleveland, but the Jaguars overcame the losses of their first two draft choices — running back Leonard Fournette and left tackle Cam Robinson — to generate 188 yards rushing against the Colts.
T.J. Yeldon replaced the inactive Fournette and ran for 122 yards. Robinson was injured on the first series. Still, the Colts were no match for the Jaguars and Jacksonville’s defense that dominates.
Blake Bortles, who entered the Indianapolis game with a 79.2 rating, threw for 282 yards in the first half and finished with 330 with one touchdown and no interceptions.
If Bortles becomes consistently productive, the Jaguars might be the best team in the division, especially if they can beat the Texans in Jacksonville to sweep the series.
Tennessee’s offense was awful against Cleveland, a team the Texans dominated a week ago. The Titans couldn’t score a touchdown against the winless Browns, despite quarterback Marcus Mariota playing a second consecutive game since he recovered from a hamstring injury.
Watson stands out
The Texans have the only quarterback who has been effective on a consistent basis. Considering two of their next three games are on the road against the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams, they’ll need Watson to continue to produce touchdowns.
The Texans are playing the most treacherous part of their schedule, with four of their next six games on the road.
They have a home game against the Colts sandwiched between the road games against the Seahawks and Rams. After hosting Arizona, they play two in a row on the road against Baltimore and Tennessee.
Over their next six games, the Jaguars appear to have the most favorable schedule, playing four of six at home before entertaining the Texans in their division rematch.
Jacksonville’s next five games are against teams that have losing records. The Jaguars host Cincinnati and the Los Angeles Chargers and visit Cleveland and Arizona before playing at home against Indianapolis and Seattle.
The Titans have one advantage because they play the Texans and Jaguars at home. Their next two games are in Nashville against Baltimore and Cincinnati.
Colts have no Luck
The Colts can play the spoiler’s role, but they won’t be up to it without Luck. They’ve lost to Tennessee and Jacksonville and have to play the Texans twice.
Injuries will have an impact on the AFC South. The division winner might be the team that keeps its quarterback healthy.
Right now, only one AFC South quarterback has a rating among the top 20, and Watson’s 101.1 was sixth going into the weekend. He faces his toughest test against Seattle’s defense.