AFC South Week Seventeen Update: Season Ends for Three Teams in the Division

The Colts won 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 (9-7)

Place: 2nd

Last Week:  Won 23-17 over the Jacksonville Jaguars

This Week: N/A

For a while on Sunday afternoon, it looked as if the Texans might sneak into the playoffs, just one year after finishing 2-14.  As the Baltimore Ravens won, however, the Texans' playoff hopes came crashing to the ground, but they ended the season with a win to reach 9-7 overall on a pretty successful season.  On Sunday, they racked up 358 yards of offense and converted 10-of-18 third down tries, though they turned the ball over twice.  The Jaguars led at the end of the third quarter, but nine unanswered points in the final period won the game for Houston.  Case Keenum (yeah, he was back!) completed 25 of 35 passes for 250 yards and two scores with a pick.  Andre Johnson caught 10 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown.  And J.J. Watt continued to absolutely dominate, notching six tackles, three sacks, four tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, and a safety (that came on one of his three sacks).  Altogether, Houston won their final game of the season to improve to 9-7 in a season that provided a lot to build on.

Tennessee Titans (2-14)

Place: 4th

Last Week: Lost 27-10 to the Indianapolis Colts

This Week: N/A

The worst team in the AFC South lost on Sunday to finish in last place in the division and earn the second overall pick in the NFL draft.  They recorded just 192 yards of offense, were 4-of-16 on third down and 1-of-3 on fourth down.  As a team, Charlie Whitehurst and Jordan Palmer combined to complete just 13 of 31 passes for 50 yards (2.5 yards per attempt) and a touchdown.  Seriously - 50 yards passing on 31 attempts.  Shonn Greene rushed for 94 yards on 11 carries to provide the bulk of the offense for the Titans.  It was a miserable season for Tennessee and there isn't much at this point to expect much different next season, though there's an entire offseason left where they could make moves.

Jacksonville Jaguars (3-13)

Place: 3rd

Last Week: Lost 23-17 to the Houston Texans

This Week: N/A

They didn't come in last place in the division, but the Jaguars will have the third overall pick in the NFL draft after a 3-13 season that ended with a loss on Sunday to the Texans.  Jacksonville led 17-14 at the end of the third quarter but couldn't hold on to win it.  Rookie Blake Bortles completed just 14 of 33 passes for 117 yards, averaging just 3.5 yards per pass - he did lead the team in rushing with 61 yards on 3 carries, however.

Indianapolis Colts (11-5)

Place: 1st

Last Week: Won 27-10 over the Tennessee Titans

This Week: Host the Cincinnati Bengals in Wild Card Round

The Colts wrapped up their third straight 11-win season and second straight sweep of the AFC South division with a 27-10 victory over the Titans on Sunday.  The Colts extended their winning streak against division opponents to 13-straight games, more than twice as long as the next-longest streak in the league currently and the longest by any team since the division realignment in 2002.   The Colts notched 378 yards of offense despite quarterback Andrew Luck only playing one half, and perhaps most importantly the Colts didn't turn the football over.  The Colts, as division champions, will be the only team to represent the AFC South in the playoffs, and they'll host the Bengals on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.