AFC South Review: Week 2

By Joanne Kong

Twitter: @kongfu4u  AFC South

The AFC South has been a roller coaster showcase of skill for some and filled with disappointment for others.  What was expected to be the worst team in the division isn’t.  One of the most anticipated rookie quarterbacks has shown us how good he can be… and how mediocre.  The team known for a dominating defense has only fared slightly better than average.  And, the team we anticipated would be Super Bowl contenders has fallen to last in the division.  Luckily, it’s only been two games, and there’s still fourteen games remaining in the regular season.

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1)

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins (20) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (23)

Who are the Jacksonville Jaguars?  They weren’t the same team from week 1.

There were a lot of contributing factors in the Jaguars victory against the Dolphins.  Quarterback Blake Bortles looked more competent, completing 18 of 33 for 273 yards (compared to 183 yards in week 1), 2 passing TDs, 0 interceptions (2 interceptions in week 1) and 0 sacks (5 sacks in week 1).  Bortles also showed ability to move the ball down field, making good decisions behind center and showing his ability (again) to scramble out of the pocket and run the ball (27 rushing yards) when necessary.  But, Bortles didn’t do it alone.

The second year WR, Allen Robinson, caught half of his targeted attempts for 155 yards and 2 TDs, becoming the Jaguars top playmaker in week 2.  But the Jaguars appear to be most excited about the player that scored the second most points in week 2 — kicker Jason Myers with 3 of 3 field goals, 2 of 2 extra points and is now up for the Castro Edge Clutch Performer of the Week:

Rookie T.J. Yeldon looks to be heading towards a good year, significantly contributing to the Jaguars previously weak rushing offense.  And with running back Denard Robinson sustaining a knee injury during week 2 win against the Dolphins, expect Yeldon to carry even more of the work load.

Both teams were not exceptional, nor were they inept.  Being 6 point favorites, the Dolphins were thought to have an easy victory, but even though Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill completed 30 of 44, passed for 359 yards, 2 TDs and took only 2 sacks, they ended up losing a close one by 3.

The Jaguars will still need to prove week 2 wasn’t a fluke, which will be hard to do in week 3 as the Jaguars play the red hot New England Patriots.

Tennessee Titans (1-1)

Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans (14) @ Cleveland Browns (28)

As good a quarterback as Marcus Mariota and the Titans looked in week 1, they looked equally as bad in week 2.

Both quarterbacks performed competently, as although Mariota had more passing yards (257) than Johnny Manziel (172) both had two passing TDs.

So where did the Titans go wrong?

In large part, the Titans offensive line contributed to the loss by allowing Mariota to be sacked 7 times for a total loss of 38 yards, which also led to two lost fumbles.  In comparison, Manziel was sacked only twice for a loss of 14 yards and did not turnover the ball. In fact, the Titans offense was particularly tepid in the first half as Mariota only completed 8 of 16 for a measly 71 yards.  Although Mariota rallied in the second half to throw two passing TD (to TE Anthony Fasano and WR Dorial Beckham-Green) and the defense held the Browns to 1 TD in the fourth quarter, it was too little too late.

In general, though, the Titans defense looked sloppy, making a mediocre team like the Cleveland Browns look like superstars as they put up a punt return TD, 2 passing TDs and a rushing TD.

The bottom line, Mariota made some bad decisions, played indecisively and often times held onto the ball too long.  He’ll have a hard time proving himself in week 3 as they face a solid Colts secondary led by Vontae Davis.

Houston Texans (0-2)

Houston Texans

Houston Texans (17) @ Carolina Panthers (24)

Week 2 was Ryan Mallett’s opportunity to prove that he deserved the starting quarterback position.  But why did head coach Bill O’Brien decide to name Mallett as week 2 starter?

  • The team loved Mallett’s spark as he drove down the field for a TD in week 1,
  • Mallett’s character: even though he wasn’t names the starter he continued to practice as one, and
  • Brian Hoyer looked terrible in week 1 (4 sacks, 1 pick and a fumble).

How did that turn out?

Playing less than a quarter in week 1, Mallet was able to pass for 98 yards and a TD with no interceptions.  In week 2, Mallett completed 27 of 58 passes for 244 passing yards, 1 passing TD, 1 rushing TD, 1 interception and 1 sack for a loss of 5 yards.

As expected, the Texans rushing offense was ineffective without Arian Foster, being unable to move the ball.  Let’s face it, Mallet was probably the Texans most effective rusher, scoring the only rushing TD.

And what happened to the Texans wide receiving core in week 2?  The Texans coaching staff will probably spend the week trying to figure it out.  The Texans love to throw the ball with 58 passing attempts compared to just 23 rushing attempts.  But unlike week 1, Mallet was simply unable to connect with his receivers.  Although the opportunity was there for Cecil Shorts III to be the week 2 playmaker with a whopping 12 targets (the most of any Texans player), he only managed to catch 6.  Week 1 top scorer, DeAndre Hopkins, had 11 targets and only caught 5 for 53 yards.  Nate Washington, who had the most receiving yards in week 1, had 8 targets and caught just 3 for 63 yards.

In the last 17 seconds of the fourth quarter, the Texans had an opportunity to win the game as they stood on the Panthers 14 yard line.  In a nutshell, incomplete passes, bad decisions and penalties loss the game.  It’s an all too familiar story for the Texans.

Another reason Coach O’Brian named Mallett the starter in week 2 due to his perceived decisiveness. Being decisive, though, isn’t always good if you’re decisively making poor decisions.  Although Mallett made some poor decisions during the game, the fault doesn’t fall entirely on the quarterback.  As Giselle once said about Tom Brady, a quarterback can’t throw AND catch the ball.  Washington, Hopkins and Shorts III are no strangers to making plays, but dropped balls are inexcusable.  As poorly as Mallett played during the first half, he was able to rally sufficiently enough in the second to get another start in week 3.

Even being 6 point favorites over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, if the Texans passing game doesn’t make some adjustments, you can count on another loss in week 3.

Indianapolis Colts (0-2)

Indianapolis Colts

New York Jets (20) @ Indianapolis Colts (7)

The Colts were thought to be Super Bowl contenders during the pre-season.  Currently 0-2, the Colts find themselves in last place in their division.  If you thought Andrew Luck looked bad in week 1, you didn’t see him play in week 2.

Fantasy owners are probably fuming.  Luck was the consensus #1 quarterback to draft by fantasy experts.  Raise your hand if you wished you filled that spot with another player?  Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston went undrafted in many leagues and they’ve outscored Luck by leaps and bounds.

During the off-season, the Colts brought in offensive talent in RB Frank Gore, WR Andre Johnson and first round draft pick WR Phillip Dorsett.  With Luck behind center, the chances that the Colts would head to the Super Bowl looked promising.  Looks, however, can obviously be deceiving.

Even with the helmet on, the frustration on Luck’s face was obvious as he turned over the ball not once, not twice, but three times through the air and once more on the ground.  Luck tried to rally in the fourth quarter, throwing a passing TD to Donte Moncrief.  Unfortunately, the Jets responded by immediately going 80 yards to score a TD in just 7 plays, essentially sealing the Colts fate and leaving them with an 0-2 start for the 2015 season.

The Jets defense dominated the game.  They stuffed the run and disrupted passing lanes.  Offensive penalties also stifled the Colts, as yards gained frequently became yards lost with numerous holding penalties.  The Colts, however, shouldn’t be too embarrassed with the loss, the Jets defense is turning out to be one of the best in the NFL, also dominating the Cleveland Browns in week 1.

Week 3 should be interesting, as the Colts play their division rivals, the Tennessee Titans.  In the preseason, NFL experts would be shocked if the Colts weren’t at least a 1 TD favorite over the Titans.  Of course, it’s no longer the preseason, and Vegas has no spread on this game.  Is this an overreaction, or an accurate reflection of the state of the Colts?  We’ll find out in week 3. (Update – 9/23/15 – The spread has now moved to +3.5 in favor of the Colts.  Still doesn’t show much confidence in what was expected to be one of the best offenses in the league.)

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