AFC South Week Sixteen Update: A New Team in Last Place

The Colts lost this weekend, but how did the rest of the division do?  Let's take a look at how each of the four teams in the division fared:

Houston Texans (8-7)

Place: 2nd

Last Week:  Won 25-13 over the Baltimore Ravens

This Week: Host the Jacksonville Jaguars

The Texans kept their playoff hopes alive entering the final week of the regular season by beating the Baltimore Ravens 25-13.  Houston's defense led the way, holding Baltimore to just 13 points and forcing three turnovers.  J.J. Watt led the team with eight tackles while also recording a sack, three tackles for loss, and four quarterback hits.  The defense held Ravens' quarterback Joe Flacco to just 21 of 50 passing for 195 yards (3.9 yards per attempt) and picked him off three times (Flacco also threw two touchdowns).  Texans' kicker Randy Bullock made all six of his field goal attempts (six field goals!) and the Texans won 25-13.  They'll need a lot of help to make the playoffs, but they stayed alive another week with the win.

Tennessee Titans (2-13)

Place: 4th

Last Week: Lost 21-13 to the Jacksonville Jaguars

This Week: Host the Indianapolis Colts

For the first time all season, the Titans are in last place of the AFC South, finally representing what we have seen this year: that the Titans are not only the worst team in the division but that they might be the worst team in the league period.  Charlie Whitehurst completed 24 of 35 passes for 287 yards and a touchdown and the Titans jumped out to a 10-0 lead on Thursday Night Football, but Jacksonville stormed back and scored the next 21 points to hand the Titans their 13th loss of the season and their ninth in a row.  The Titans host the Colts in the regular season finale on Sunday.

Jacksonville Jaguars (3-12)

Place: 3rd

Last Week: Won 21-13 over the Tennessee Titans

This Week: at the Houston Texans

Jacksonville notched their third win of the season and moved out of last place in the AFC South while doing so.  Blake Bortles completed 13 of 26 passes for 115 yards and touchdown, but Jordan Todman rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown on just five carries while Toby Gerhart rushed for 53 yards and a score and Blake Bortles added 50 yards rushing.  As already noted, the Jaguars came back from a 10-0 deficit on Thursday Night Football, scoring the next 21 points to go ahead for good, winning 21-13.  The Jaguars have now won two of their last four games and will travel to Houston on Sunday, looking to end any chance the division rivals have of making the playoffs.

Indianapolis Colts (10-5)

Place: 1st

Last Week: Lost 42-7 to the Dallas Cowboys

This Week: at the Tennessee Titans

In what was a complete disaster, the Colts fell 42-7 on the road to the Cowboys.  The Colts racked up just 229 yards of offense and seven points while allowing 377 yards and 42 points.  Andrew Luck was pulled in the third quarter to avoid injury, but the real story of the game was that by the time he threw his sixth pass, the Colts were down 28-0 - that's how bad it was.  The Colts rushed for just one yard on ten carries, setting a new franchise record in futility (and seriously, that's hard to do - gain just one yard on ten carries!).  And then the defense allowed Tony Romo to complete 18 of 20 passes for 218 yards and four touchdowns, and when backup Brandon Weeden came in he threw one pass, which went for 43 yards and a score.  DeMarco Murray also added 58 yards and a touchdown rushing.  It was a complete domination by the Cowboys that dropped the Colts to 10-5 on the season, entering their regular season finale against the division rival Titans.  The Colts will look to improve to 6-0 in the division for the second straight season.