AFC South Review: Week 13

By Joanne Kong

Twitter: @kongfu4u  AFC South

Indianapolis Colts (6-6)

 

Indianapolis Colts (10) @ Pittsburg Steelers (45)

Nothing seemed to go right for the Colts in week 13.

Matt Hasselbeck struggled in his fifth start for the Colts, held to 169 passing yards, a touchdown and 2 interceptions on Sunday’s game against the Steelers, ending week 13 with a 4-1 win-loss record.  To add insult to injury, a fourth quarter fumble by Hasselbeck knocked him out of the game with a shoulder and neck injury.  The only passing touchdown was caught by Frank Gore, who was held to 45 rushing yards and 49 receiving yards.  T.Y Hilton was held to 36 yards, while Andre Johnson had a total of 44 yards.  Ultimately, the Colts offense barely showed up, being held to 240 yards and had 3 turnovers.

While the Colts offense had a hard time getting anything going, the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger, threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns, keeping pace for the AFC Wild Card race.

The Colts are currently tied for first place with the Houston Texans in the division, but will have to do better if they want to stay in first.

Houston Texans (6-6)

Houston Texans (21) @ Buffalo Bills (30)

What went wrong?

Where to begin…the Texans defense have yet to work out their weakness securing the edges, having additional difficulty protecting against screen passes and draws.  It’s a problem that has plagued the Texans defense all season, and opposing teams have taken advantage of it.

Missed and incorrect calls have plagued the league all season.  Football players have essentially resigned themselves to waiting for penalty calls as opposed to making plays.  Part of this might be due to the NFL’s relatively recent tendency to over-protect quarterbacks, but it doesn’t explain everything.  I haven’t read the NFL Bible of rules and regulations, but I’ve watched enough football to know what a facemask and pass interference looks like, and what a missed call can do to change the outcome of the game.  This Sunday’s game was no exception, when refs missed a defensive pass interference and facemask against the Bills and also missed an offensive pass interference against wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

The Texans were far from inept against the Bills.  Brian Hoyer passed for 293 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception (which ended the game).  To Hoyer’s credit, he has improved his ability to find open receiver downfield.  Unfortunately, pressure from the Bill’s defensive line still led to inaccurate passes.  On Sunday, Hoyer was able to connect with Cecil Shorts III for 91 yards, while Nate Washington took a back seat with 44 yards.  Unlike week 12, DeAndre Hopkins had some favorable routes, connecting with Hoyer for 88 yards and a touchdown.  There seem to be some hope for a win early in the fourth quarter when the Texans tied the game 21-21, after the Texans defense were able to hold the Bills from scoring in the third quarter.  Unfortunately, a missed tackle lead to a Bills touchdown late in the fourth quarter, followed by a Bill’s field goal on the Bills next series, putting a win out of reach for the Texans.

Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8) & Tennessee Titans (3-9)

Jacksonville Jaguars (39) @ Tennessee Titans (42)

A rematch of week 11, the Jaguars and the Titans met at Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans.  The Titans had yet to win a game at home all season, until week 13.

In week 11, the Titans lost 13-19.

In week 13, the Titans won 42-39.

How different a couple of weeks make?  In week 11, both teams had only 1 touchdown each.  In week 13, both teams had a combined 11 offensive touchdowns and 1 defensive touchdown (Titans).

Blake Bortles threw for 322 yards, 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.  The biggest receiver of Sunday’s game was Allen Robinson with 153 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns.  But there wasn’t a player that didn’t contribute to the scoring total.  Bortles connected with Julius Thomas and Rashad Green in the endzone, and T.J. Yeldon had 57 rushing yards, 79 receiving yards, a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown.

How did the Jaguars lose?  First, the 2 missed extra points by Jaguars’ kicker Jason Meyers.  Second, the failed two-point conversion.  Third, the fumble return by the Titans defense in the fourth quarter.  Fourth, the time of possession by the Jaguars.  The Jaguars having possessed the ball 7:08 minutes less than the Titans, the Jaguars missed 7:08 minutes of scoring, ultimately losing the game.

Marcius Mariota had 268 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 112 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.  Surprisingly, Mariota had the most rushing yards in Sunday’s game for either team.  Dorial Green-Beckham had the best game of his rookie season with 119 receiving yards and a touchdown.  The numbers from Delanie Walker (92 yards and a touchdown) are not surprising.  Walker has become a staple in the Titans offense and Mariota’s security blanket in the latter half of the season.  And quick reaction by the Titans defense and the ensuing fumble-six secured the lead for the Titans and the win.