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John Clayton’s recent list of the NFL’s top 10 tight ends didn’t include anyone from the AFC South.

If he does a similar list in a year, will that change?

There are a lot of quality tight ends in the division, but they all carry questions. I don’t know if any can match the production of New England’s Rob Gronkowski or New Orleans’ Jimmy Graham, who are setting the standard for the new breed of players at the position.

Tennessee’s Jared Cook can be an extremely dangerous receiver. But through three seasons he’s been quite inconsistent. He finished with three very good games last year. That’s great and hopefully something to build on, but it’s hard not to wonder about why he wasn’t more effective in the rest of the games. Offensive coordinator Chris Palmer seemed reluctant to really plan a game with a lot in it for Cook, who could fare better if Jake Locker is at quarterback rather than Matt Hasselbeck.

Houston’s Owen Daniels is an excellent pass catcher who can be a vital piece of the team’s offense. But he carries health questions. He played in every game last year but didn’t seem like the same guy he was before he missed five games in 2010 with a hamstring issue. He broke his hand in the Texans' first playoff game, but played with the injury in the second game. With the versatile Joel Dreessen gone, and the right side of the line being rebuilt, Daniels could be called on to block more.

Indianapolis will build a lot of its offense around Andrew Luck-to-Coby Fleener. Fleener, the team’s second-round pick, should be a primary target for his college teammate and could quickly earn a high ranking among the league’s tight ends.

Jacksonville’s Marcedes Lewis suffered a terrible drop-off in 2011 after a super-productive 2010 and a new contract. He was dealing with some difficult off-the-field issues, but needed to compartmentalize better to perform on Sundays. As part of a new offense, can he bounce back as a weapon or will the team be left to talk of his blocking?

Who will be regarded as the best after 16 games this fall and winter? Please chime in on our poll.

NASHVILLE -- The NFL draft is often an exercise in weighing production against potential.

In the scales of that debate over Taylor Thompson, the Titans went heavily with potential.

The Titans traded up 10 spots with Miami and spent pick No. 145 in the fifth round on Thompson from SMU. In an offense that didn’t use tight ends, he played defensive end.

Now the Titans will look to develop a guy who hasn’t regularly played the position since high school. The Titans fell in love with Thompsonat a no-name all-star game and a pro day.

They insisted his athleticism, enthusiasm and intelligence will quickly offset the lack of college experience at the position. At 6-foot-6 and 260 he ran a 4.58 40 on the watch of Titans scout Jon Salge.

“As far as a receiving tight end, I think he’s uncanny,” offensive coordinator Chris Palmer said. “… I don’t think it’s four years behind. There are no bad habits.”

Are there good habits from not playing?

Palmer said Thompson had 10 visits.

“It’s not like we’re the only one who saw the acorn,” he said.

In a conference call, Thompson spoke very confidently about his ability to play tight end in the NFL.

Mike Munchak said the Titans thought Thompson would be gone in the third round. The lack of blocking experience would be virtually the same even with a guy who has played tight end in college, Munchak said, because spread offenses are all the rage and few players do in college what will be asked of them in the NFL.

“He’s not going to fail,” Munchak said.

Thompson will rate as the Titans second receiving tight end behind Jared Cook. They also have a quality blocker in Craig Stevens. Veteran Daniel Graham, added last year, is due a $2 million base salary this year and will now likely not get to it.

Tennessee has made five picks. Two areas regarded as needs have not been addressed: interior offensive line and defensive end.

Munchak said the Titans are not in dire need on the offensive line, downplayed visits by veteran centers early in the free agency period and hit a theme he used after getting the job: "We have guys we can win with."

He also said the team planned on getting at least one defensive lineman and third-round tackle Mike Martin took care of that.

Reading the coverage…

Houston Texans

The Texans will play in prime time four times, plus on Thanksgiving, says John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

We won’t really know what the Texans think about Garrett Graham until we see how the team addresses tight end in the draft, says Nate Dunlevy of Bleacher Report.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts, typically all over the prime time schedule, have 15 kickoffs at 1 p.m. says Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star.

There are going to be season tickets available for the Colts this year, says Chappell.

"This group of (offensive) linemen will be able to accomplish far superior run blocking, should hold up better against the beefier defensive linemen that tended to cause pressue up the middle on the quarterback, and is better-suited to support (an Andrew) Luck-style offense," says Brett Mock of Colts Authority.

Jacksonville Jaguars

“The first practice of the coach Mike Mularkey era Tuesday featured a Brad Meester Super Bowl pep talk, a new haircut for Blaine Gabbert and questions about Maurice Jones-Drew’s absence,” says Vito Stellino of the Florida Times-Union.

Defensive tackle Terrance Knighton can see out of his injured left eye again, says Tania Ganguli of the T-U.

The Jaguars are not on the Monday Night Football calendar, says Ganguli.

After the top six picks, the draft looks unsettled, says Stellino.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans’ first month of games is full of challenges, says John Glennon of The Tennessean.

Tight end Jared Cook has the perfect pick for the Titans -- another South Carolina guy, defensive end Melvin Ingram. The story from Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.

The last time Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams forced a quarterback on his brain trust, things didn’t pan out so well.

“VY is my guy,” wound up causing all sorts of acrimony in team headquarters as Vince Young's tenure was an overall failure.

But Adams’ declaration Sunday to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean that he wants Peyton Manning — despite team brass indicating strongly it wouldn’t pursue him — could be an entirely different story.

Adams said he’s spoken with Manning’s agent, Tom Condon, to make his intentions clear. Team president Mike Reinfeldt and general manager Mike Webster will surely now do all they can to help execute their boss’ wishes.

“He is the man I want. Period,” Adams said. “And the people that work for me understand that. They know who I want. I want Mr. Manning with the Titans and I will be disappointed if it doesn’t happen.”

Adams indicated no decision on if a visit’s been made, but seems to believe Manning is willing to listen provided he believes Reinfeldt and Webster are in line with the owners’ desires.

Those extend beyond Manning’s playing days.

“I want him to be with me the rest of his working period of his life,” Adams said, “even when he doesn’t want to play anymore.”

There has long been speculation in Tennessee that Manning could be involved in Titans’ management or even ownership in the years to come, in large part because while succession plans are in place for the aging Adams, there is no one in his family lined up to take over his role. His grandson works in the front office, but isn’t too long out of college.

So, are the Titans the mystery team many suggested would emerge in the Manning sweepstakes?

It seems like.

The team isn’t too far away from being good.

And there are reasons Manning would consider it: Coach Mike Munchak and offensive coordinator Chris Palmer are flexible types who would be easy to work with. Pass protection was excellent for Matt Hasselbeck last season. Running back Chris Johnson has rebounding to do but would benefit from an improved passing game. A healthy Kenny Britt could be a big threat for Manning. Nate Washington, Jared Cook and Damian Williams could make for a pretty good core of options to throw to.

The defense is a work in progress, but if the Titans can find one special pass-rusher, it could be primed to make a significant jump.

Would Manning be averse to two games a year against the Colts? I don’t think he’d mind taking on his old team. But considering the feelings he expressed for Indianapolis and its fans, the idea of going back regularly to play as a guest in Lucas Oil Stadium could factor in and hurt Adams’ bid.

One other thing to consider here: With Denver and Arizona emerging as favorites for Manning’s services, just when did Adams make his feelings known to Condon? If it was days ago, OK, they could be in it. If he was late, things could have been far enough along that the Titans have a minimal chance. Maybe Adams knows he can’t get Manning, but realizes he can curry favor with his team’s fans by coming out and saying he wants him. When Manning winds up playing for someone else, the Titans can say they tried.

What if they try and succeed?

With a healthy Manning in place, the Titans could certainly challenge the Texans for AFC South supremacy and leave a bunch of teams like the Broncos, Cardinals and Dolphins scrambling for quarterback answers. One of them would likely wind up with Hasselbeck.

At long last, we start to unveil ESPN.com’s All-AFC South Team.

We’ll start with the offense.

It’s a tough assignment.

The second guy at some spots -- like Houston running back Arian Foster -- is superb, while the top guy at other spots was hardly as good and was not so clearly better than his competition.

But we forge ahead.

WRs: Wide receivers were not great this season, with Andre Johnson missing too much time to be eligible and not one Jacksonville player at the position worth a look. Indianapolis’ Reggie Wayne remained productive on a team that played three bad quarterbacks and was unable to have many offensive days of note. Tennessee’s Nate Washington topped 1,000 yards and was a prime third-down target. He blossomed in a season when the Titans were desperate after Kenny Britt was lost early on.

LT: Houston’s Duane Brown gets the nod after a fine season. He was probably the second-best guy (to center Chris Myers) on one of the very best lines in the NFL. But Tennessee’s Michael Roos was very steady again and Jacksonville’s Eugene Monroe emerged as a player closer to the kind the Jaguars expected and need him to be. Both deserve mention.

LG: I struggled to find a left guard that was worthy of a spot here, so I reluctantly leave the spot open. The second-best guard in the division was Houston’s Mike Brisiel and, like Jacksonville’s Uche Nwaneri, he plays on the right. One film-watcher I spoke with said I should just go with the entire Texans group, but others thought left guard Wade Smith dropped off from his 2010 performance. Tennessee’s Leroy Harris pass-blocked well like all the Titans, but was part of the team’s run struggles.

C: Myers led Houston’s line, perhaps the best in the NFL. He’s super smart, efficient and effective. He’s also very much the group’s tone-setter and leader. Considering how much the team's scheme relies on the unit working together with lateral movements and cutting, Myers' leadership is incredibly valuable.

RG: A lot of Jaguars linemen were in and out of the lineup as the team had to shuffle and leaned on one rookie, Will Rackley. Nwaneri may have even outranked Monroe as the steadiest guy on a line that help spring Maurice Jones-Drew for a league-high 1,606 yards on a team that could hardly throw the ball.

RT: Tennessee’s David Stewart was very good, but Eric Winston had a very strong season. Winston wins out over Stewart because he was more balanced and the Texans were far more balanced.

TE: Not a great year for guys at a position that could be stacked if everyone was healthy for the full season and producing as they are capable of doing. I was leaning toward Tennessee’s Jared Cook based on a solid finish. But Cook didn't do enough early and scouting associates steered me to Owen Daniels, who was not at his best but was still a threat who helped offset the stretches without Johnson.

QB: Matt Schaub didn’t play enough for the Texans to offset Matt Hasselbeck's season. While Hasselbeck didn’t maintain the high level of play he showed early on, he was the most consistent and productive guy in the division and the only quarterback not named Warren Moon to pass for 3,500 yards for the Titans/Oilers.

FB: Greg Jones of the Jaguars blocked for the best running game in the division and the most productive running back in the division. Case closed.

RB: If we weren’t in a quarterback-dominated era and if running well translated to winning more, then Jones-Drew of the Jaguars would be in the running for offensive player of the year. Such things are not happening in today’s NFL. That does not detract from his remarkable season, which is what took to win this spot over Foster.

Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle recently wrote that if Peyton Manning is available, the Texans should be at the head of the line.

Sorry, Matt Schaub. Thanks for your service.

Schaub might be a solid quarterback, but a healthy Manning is more than solid. He is an all-time great.

No one knows if we are if we are talking about a healthy Manning, and he’d come with more risk of suffering another neck injury. Presuming he’s OK, in my view, you can look at all but six teams in the league and say the same thing Solomon is saying about the Texans. Simply insert the name of 25 other presumed starting quarterbacks in the Schaub slot in the above passage and it is intriguing.

Most teams aren’t big on scrapping long-range plans.

But most teams should be willing to change course given a chance at an all-time great quarterback in the rare instance when adding him is feasible and it would open a window during which they’d rank as a Super Bowl contender.

Much has been written about the teams most likely to court Manning the hardest: the Jets, Dolphins, Redskins and Cardinals top most lists.

Much has been said about an ideal fit: Add him to San Francisco, shore up the receivers and the Niners would be a Super Bowl favorite.

Let’s look at the scenario dreaming fans of the other three AFC South fans may be letting creep into their brains:

Houston

As Solomon writes, “Once Manning is let go he should be as interested in the Texans as they would be in him. There might not be a better fit for him in the NFL.”

The Texans could dominate a weak division. Gary Kubiak is a great offensive mind. Manning would be paired with an excellent run game and a fantastic receiver in Andre Johnson. The defense should continue to be quite good.

My feeling: It’s nice to imagine, but I just can’t picture the Texans going after him with the all-out sales pitch he’s likely to get from a lot of other places. They feel they now have good insurance for Schaub with T.J. Yates. But if you boil down the best option, it’s be Manning. Cap room would be an issue.

Jacksonville

New owner Shahid Khan has said he’s willing to spend and there is not a move that could make a bigger splash.

The Jaguars have excellent defensive personnel and if they add a rush end and re-stock at corner, they’ll be a top defense. They have the reigning rushing champ.

Their quarterback was horrible as a rookie. Put Blaine Gabbert behind Manning, acquire two or three receivers for him to throw to and the Jaguars would be instant contenders more than able to challenge the Texans.

My feeling: It makes sense and the Jaguars should take a swing even though it falls well outside their typical approach under general manager Gene Smith. I don’t imagine it’s the most attractive market for Manning, though he could really help put it, and Khan, on the map.

Tennessee

It won’t be long before those who still love Manning for what he did at the University of Tennessee clamor for him to finish his career with the Titans. It would mean the Titans part with Matt Hasselbeck and that Jake Locker would be planted on the bench longer than was the initial plan.

But put Manning on this team, with a great pass-protecting line, a healthy Kenny Britt, a stable of targets including Jared Cook, Nate Washington and Chris Johnson and the offense is instantly more dangerous.

My feeling: It’s too far outside the box for new general manager Ruston Webster to try it. But if owner Bud Adams fell in love with the idea and dictated that it happen, it would be a far better idea than the last time he forced a quarterback on his people.

Reading the coverage…

Houston Texans

The Texans feel like they became more physical when Lawrence Vickers was inserted at fullback, says Jeffrey Martin of the Houston Chronicle.

A win in Baltimore could rival the 1979 Oilers upset of San Diego as the city’s biggest NFL playoff upset, says John McClain.

We could see a test of will between the Texans' offensive line and the Ravens' defensive front, says Edward Less of the Baltimore Sun.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts new GM will face some major decisions: The fate of Jim Caldwell and the staff, an evaluation of Peyton Manning’s health and future, the No. 1 pick in the draft and a rebuild of a roster. Mike Chappell’s run down from the Indianapolis Star.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Tania Ganguli’s Tuesday night story from the Florida Times-Union on the swift hiring of Mike Mularkey.

Mike Mularkey is a roll of the dice like Blaine Gabbert was, says Gene Frenette of the Florida Times-Union. “Looking at Mularkey's overall body of work, there's no question that Gene Smith is banking on him developing (Blaine) Gabbert the way he brought along (Matt) Ryan. In fact, Smith, who begins his fourth year as the Jaguars' GM, is staking his future on Mularkey doing just that.”

Tennessee Titans

Tennessee hopes that Kenny Britt and Jared Cook will be healthy and productive at the same time, forming a threatening pass-catching duo, says Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean.

The Titans denied the Bears permission to talk with quarterback coach Dowell Loggains about coordinating the passing game in Chicago, says Wyatt. I wonder if they’ll get another request from Jeff Fisher once he’s in place as a head coach again.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 17:

Pressure tells the story: The Houston Texans sack or put quarterbacks under duress 28.0 percent of the time, the highest rate in the NFL. No one has a front that swarms as consistently as Houston's. The Tennessee Titans are recording a sack or putting quarterbacks under duress on 18.4 percent of opponent dropbacks this season, the second-lowest rate in the NFL. If Matt Hasselbeck is under constant pressure and T.J. Yates isn’t, this game will lean toward the Texans despite the fact that Tennessee has much more at stake.

Big milestones in range: Maurice Jones-Drew has a 128-yard lead on the rushing title heading into the day, but the Jacksonville Jaguars would surely like to guarantee that the running back secures the honor. He will be just the sixth back since 1970 to lead the league in rushing on a team with five wins or fewer and the fifth to lead the league in rushing on the NFL’s worst passing team. Tennessee receiver Nate Washington is 69 yards from a 1,000-yard season, which would be a giant accomplishment on this Titans team. Ben Tate could see a good share of carries against the Titans, but the 155 rushing yards needed to get him to 1,000 for the season is probably too much to expect.

Hands in the air: Houston is very good at batting balls down near the line of scrimmage. ESPN Stats & Info says the Texans have batted down a league-high 19 passes at the line of scrimmage this season. No other team has more than 14 (Miami Dolphins). Hasselbeck is susceptible to linemen getting their paws on his throws. He has had 13 passes batted down this season, tied with the New York Jets' Mark Sanchez for the most in the NFL. Hasselbeck had his worst game of the season in the Oct. 23 loss to the Texans. To win this one, the Titans are going to need a good passing day. Hasselbeck needs 226 passing yards to become just the second Oilers/Titans quarterback to throw for 3,500 yards in a season, joining Hall of Famer Warren Moon. Moon did it in 1989, 1990 and 1991.

Open it up: The Jaguars don’t have the pass protection or the weapons to create a lot of big plays down the field. The Indianapolis Colts have gotten far better defense as they’ve won two straight, but they still have unproven guys in the secondary. With nothing to lose, the Jaguars should not try to play it safe with short passes -- look what that did for the Titans and Texans the past two weeks against Indianapolis. When they are not handing the ball to MJD, the Jaguars should chip Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis as needed and tell Blaine Gabbert to test the pass coverage deep. I’ve written they should go crazy a few times this season. In the last game for this coaching staff, why not take chances?

Also: Despite being inactive for two games and sidelined for much of another, Arian Foster has rushed for at least 100 yards in a league-high seven games. Since the start of the 2010 season, Foster leads the league in rush yards (2,840), rush touchdowns (26) and first downs (147). ... Only the New York Giants' Jake Ballard (15.9) has a higher yards per catch average than Jared Cook (15.5) among tight ends with significant action. … Gabbert had been sacked 37 times (tied for third-most in the NFL) and has the lowest passer rating (64.3) and QBR (21.3) among quarterbacks who have had significant playing time this season.

» NFC Stock Watch: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

FALLING

1. The Houston Texans' confidence: They will say otherwise, but coming off of two bad losses the Texans have to be wondering about themselves. They got pushed around by Carolina, and their vaunted defense fell apart in the final minutes, allowing the Colts to drive to a game-winning touchdown. I was among those questioning this team’s mental makeup coming into the season. I thought they’d answered that question resoundingly as they ran away with the division. Is it creeping back in now?

2. The Jacksonville Jaguars’ dealings with tight ends: Marcedes Lewis will be a headliner on the AFC South All Disappointment Team, and if not for Chris Johnson, he’d be the captain. Saturday in Nashville, he pulled up on one ball across the middle for fear of a hit from notorious thumper Michael Griffin, the Titans safety (#sarcasm). On the other end, the defense let Tennessee’s Jared Cook run wild. The coverage call on Cook’s 55-yard touchdown pass that sent the safeties wide and left middle linebacker Paul Posluszny covering Cook deep down the middle was disastrous.

3. The Houston Texans’ third-down offense: On last week’s list, it was third-down defense. The Colts allowed them just one conversion in 10 chances, and that one came on a pass that bounced off Antoine Bethea twice. This team can win with games centered on defense and the run game. But if the offense can’t convert third downs and stay on the field for some extended drives, the strain on those two areas becomes too much and the margin of error shrivels.

RISING

1. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver: He talked leading up to the Colts' home finale about wanting to go out with a bang in case it turned out to be his last game as a Colt at Lucas Oil Stadium. I saw one early route where I thought his effort was questionable. But he sure cranked it up as Dan Orlovsky threw his direction 14 times. He pulled in eight receptions for 106 yards and cradled the game-winning touchdown after a 1-yard catch that provided the winning margin for Indianapolis in its second consecutive win. He’s heading toward free agency and it’s clear he can still produce. How much longer is the question.

2. The Tennessee Titans’ discipline: Mike Munchak has preached discipline from his first day as the Titans coach. Saturday, when he didn’t get a postgame question about a penalty-free performance, he didn’t leave the podium before jokingly pointing it out. It was the first time the franchise didn’t draw a flag in a game since 1972. Meanwhile the Titans benefited from six calls against the Jaguars that gave Tennessee 28 yards and three first downs.

3. Jared Cook, Tennessee Titans tight end: Following the best game for a tight end in franchise history -- 169 yards -- he’s in range of the franchise record for tight end receiving yards in a season. He’s a receiver-like threat who I believe has been under-used by offensive coordinator Chris Palmer and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck since Kenny Britt went down early in the season. Cook killed the Titans with a lost fumble in the loss at Indianapolis. The effort against the Jaguars was an excellent rebound. The Titans need to find ways to get him the ball Sunday at Reliant Stadium.

Reading the coverage ...

Houston Texans

Receiver Andre Johnson and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips could both be back with the Texans for Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Titans, says John McClain.

Arian Foster is likely to be named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl this evening, says McClain. He’ll hardly be the only player from the team to be named to the AFC squad.

Indianapolis Colts

Aggressive, dynamic and productive linebacker Pat Angerer is the Colts' best chance at a Pro Bowl spot, says Phil Richards of the Indianapolis Star. I won’t be surprised if Robert Mathis or Dwight Freeney make it either.

The season finale has a lot of implications, says Mike Chappell of the Star.

On his radio show, vice chairman Bill Polian talked about what positions the Colts need to draft to fill, says Richards.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars have placed 31 players on injured reserve this season, says Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union. But presuming that’s the reason for all the team’s troubles is a mistake. “While some players landed on the list for serious and long-term injuries, not every injury was such. Many of the injuries happened after a five-game losing streak derailed the Jaguars’ season. And the two aspects of the Jaguars’ game that excelled before the injuries -- the defense and the rushing offense -- continued to succeed even after injured reserve ballooned.”

Defensive end Aaron Kampman had his right knee cleaned up with surgery, says Ganguli.

Tennessee Titans

Mike Munchak is urging his Titans to take care of their own business because results elsewhere have a funny way of falling into place as they did in 2006, says Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean.

The franchise record for yards by a tight end in a season is within reach for Jared Cook, says Wyatt.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Titans offensive coordinator Chris Palmer polls his quarterbacks on their three favorite plays out of each week’s game plan.

Matt Hasselbeck, Jake Locker and Rusty Smith all voted this week for a deep crossing route.

It was a play the Titans ran with great success in a 23-17 Christmas Eve win over the Jaguars that kept Tennessee in contention for the sixth and final berth in the AFC playoff field.

The Titans need to finish in a three-way tie at 9-7 with the Bengals and Jets or with the Bengals and Raiders to earn the No. 6 seed.

The trio of signal-callers often votes the same way in separate, secret balloting which influences Palmer’s approach, Hasselbeck said.

“It’s mental telepathy or something,” he said. “We get along really well, we like the same plays. They think we’re cheating off of each other, but we’re not.”

Rarely does the favored play contribute so heavily to a favored result.

Hasselbeck leaned on it heavily and posted strong passing numbers despite two interceptions, with 24 completions in 40 pass attempts, for 350 yards and a touchdown.

Tight end Jared Cook is a big, fast, receiver-like threat. He disappears at times and has not been featured the way many of us expected he would be this season. In Week 15 he lost a deadly fumble in Indianapolis when the Titans were mounting a charge.

But he keyed this Titans win with eight catches for 169 yards and the 55-yard score on a mismatch with Jaguars middle linebacker Paul Posluszny, who was left in an unreasonably difficult spot by the coverage.

No tight end for the Titans or Oilers ever collected so much receiving yardage in one game. The previous record was 150 by Houston’s Dave Casper in 1980.

While the Jaguars have a strong front seven, they do not have particularly threatening edge pass-rushers. That helped the Titans feel comfortable lining Cook up less often next to a tackle, and more often in a two-by-two set, as if he were a receiver in a four-wide formation.

Nate Washington, also in a slot, typically drew nickelback Drew Coleman in coverage. Hasselbeck said that also helped get Cook into open space more often than usual.

Cook said the Titans talked all week about the opportunities they’d find against an injury-depleted Jaguars defense. The Jaguars are without both their starting corners, Rashean Mathis and Derek Cox, and played Saturday minus starting safety Dwight Lowery. That meant Ashton Youboty and Morgan Trent started at corner and Akwasi Owusu-Ansah was in the lineup at safety.

Youboty suffered a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter, and couldn't finish the game. He was replaced by David Jones, a player Jacksonville decided was not part of its future at the end of training camp.

Combine all that change with a gimpy Chris Johnson, who sprained an ankle last week, and the Titans decided to push it with the pass.

“We kind of looked at the first-15 script and saw there was a little change up from the normal,” Cook said, referring to the preordained 15 plays the Titans wanted to run out of the gate if the situations permitted for them. “We kind of got excited. So kudos to coach Palmer for kind of doing that and catching the defense off guard.”

Not to harp, but… While the Titans are over last week’s loss at previously winless Indianapolis, I can’t help wonder how things might be different for them had they taken this approach a week earlier against the Colts, who rush the passer better but also have a secondary minus three starters.

“It’s just hard to predict games,” Hasselbeck said.

It’s hard, too, to predict what happens in all the games that influence the Titans’ chances next week.

But the Texans are locked into the third seed, and have nothing to gain with a win and nothing to lose with a loss. If the Titans find their way in, their opponent isn’t in question. They’ll go right back to Houston for a wild-card game.

The Titans know they’ve blown a ton of chances that would have left them in a better spot.

“We’re alive,” guard Jake Scott said. “That’s all you can ask for right now. We’ve got to handle our business and hope for the help that we need.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Thoughts on the Tennessee Titans’ 23-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at LP Field Stadium.

What it means: The Titans remain alive for the No. 6 seed in the AFC with a win that moved them to 8-7. They still need a win at Houston and help to qualify for the postseason. The Jaguars fell to 4-11.

What I liked, Titans: A week after the Titans were far too conservative against a Colts defense lacking in the secondary, they found a weak spot to attack down field against a team missing three starters in the secondary. Tight end Jared Cook caught eight passes for 169 yards and a touchdown, finding himself alone with middle linebacker Paul Posluszny a few times. That’s a franchise record for tight end receiving yards in a game. Dave Casper had 150 for the Oilers in 1980.

What I didn’t like, Jaguars: The Jaguars had too many three-and-outs and were in third-and-long far too often. With ineffective plays on first downs, they just couldn’t get a lot of drives started. The defense set things up several times. They had two interceptions and a fumble recovery that could have really gotten them back in the game, but the offense managed to convert them into just 10 points.

Second-guess city: A pass play on fourth-and-1 from the Tennessee 9-yard line wound up intercepted by Michael Griffin. It’s easy to say they should have handed off to Maurice Jones-Drew. But they should have handed off to Maurice Jones-Drew.

What I wonder: How in the world can Jones-Drew top 100 yards and be in the lead for the rushing title when the Jaguars passing offense has been so ineffective this season?

What’s next: The Titans head for Houston, where they hope to mess up Houston's playoff positioning and squeeze into the postseason field. The Jaguars host the Indianapolis Colts. If they beat Indianapolis, the Jaguars assure Indianapolis of the top pick in the April draft.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — And now a few thoughts about tight ends.

They’ve figured prominently in the first half of the Jaguars-Titans game. Tennessee leads 17-10.

Jared Cook, who’s not lived up to expectations this season, has found seam after seam and has six catches for 136 yards and a touchdown for Matt Hasselbeck and the Titans.

Marcedes Lewis, who’s not lived up to expectations this season, pulled up on a ball he could have caught for the Jaguars out of fear of a hit from Michael Griffin. Griffin’s hardly been doling out giant pops this season. Blaine Gabbert’s gotten one catch out of Lewis, same as Zach Potter and half as many as Colin Cloherty.

The Titans should continue to attack using Cook, who’s gotten himself in one-on-one situations with middle linebacker Paul Posluszny, who’s not equipped to survive such a matchup.

It was unreasonable to expect Lewis to pull in 10 touchdowns this season the way he did last season. But certainly he should have more than zero, and he should be a featured piece of an offense severely lacking at receiver.

ATLANTA -- The Titans are getting mislabeled.

They are not an inconsistent team. If anything, their 23-17 loss to the Falcons at the Georgia Dome made them even more predictable.

Over their past eight games, the formula’s been simple: They have beaten bad teams and lost to good ones.

It’s easy to see they are better than Denver, Cleveland, Indianapolis and Carolina. It’s just as clear they are not in a class with Pittsburgh, Houston, Cincinnati and Atlanta.

The Titans are too sloppy, don’t find enough big plays and don’t match up well enough with quality teams. Ten games into the season, they’re 5-5 and it’s exactly what they deserve.

Sunday they played good enough red zone defense to stay in the game, but could never get back to even from 13-0 and 23-3 deficits.

A look at three key issues for Tennessee coming out of the game:

The quarterback situation: Matt Hasselbeck banged his elbow as he threw late in the third quarter. He couldn’t generate any power on the ball after that, so doctors had him yield to rookie Jake Locker.

“He did exactly what a second-team quarterback should do when he gets an opportunity,” coach Mike Munchak said.

Locker moved right and hit Nate Washington, who stiff-armed a defender and ran to the end zone on a 40-yard touchdown play. In the fourth quarter, working in hurry-up mode out of the shotgun, he ran for 11 yards on a third-and-10, he hit tight end Jared Cook for 22 yards on a fourth-and-17 and he found Washington for another touchdown with 3:09 left in the game.

The defense, however, couldn’t get provide him a chance to engineer a game-winning drive.

Locker finished with a 107.3 passer rating, but the Titans diffused any possibility of a quarterback controversy.

Hasselbeck is sore and he had ice wrapped around the inside of his left elbow and forearm as he spoke to the press. He said he’ll have an MRI Monday. Munchak said he wasn’t about to make a change based on the small sampling of Locker. If Hasselbeck is fine, “he’s the quarterback, there is no doubt about that.”

While Hasselbeck hardly has his best game -- 13-of-25 passing for 124 yards, an interception and a 49.4 passer rating -- the Titans aren’t going to forget how large a role he’s played in many of their good moments this season.

“Jake kind of puts a defense on its heels a little bit, because you’ve got a younger guy who can run,” receiver Lavelle Hawkins said. “That’s taking nothing away from Matt, because Matt is a great mind who knows how to read a lot of stuff and sees a lot of things before they happen. I think either, or is great.”

Making mistakes: Munchak’s Titans were supposed to be a disciplined team that executed precisely. But there was a major lack of precision in key moments against the Falcons.

The Falcons went for it on fourth-and-1 twice in the second half.

They motioned and reset, then motioned and reset again, making it seem like they were merely waiting for the defense to jump. On the first instance, Matt Ryan had the ball snapped and snuck at an unexpected time in the long sequence of shuffling.

And on the second, defensive end William Hayes was flagged for jumping offsides.

“There is no excuse for me doing that, it’s fourth-and-1, I’ve got to be patient,” Hayes said. “They got me.”

He actually got bailed out as Colin McCarthy forced a Michael Turner fumble on the next play and Will Witherspoon recovered it.

That’s when Locker took the Titans on the 14-play, 84-yard touchdown drive that cut the lead to six with 3:06 left.

With three timeouts and the two-minute warning, Tennessee then needed to force a punt to get Locker the ball back.

And on the very first play from scrimmage, safety Jordan Babineaux slipped off Turner, allowing him to spring free for a 27-yard gain. Two Jason Snelling carries and a 6-yard Harry Douglas catch later and Ryan was ready to take a knee three times and shake some hands.

The Titans failed to slow Atlanta’s stars. Ryan passed for 316 yards, Turner ran for 100 and receiver Roddy White pulled in seven catches for 147 yards.

On top of that, the Titans were flagged for 10 penalties. They accounted for 86 yards and five of the Falcons’ 25 first downs.

“We didn’t play smart for 60 minutes,” Munchak said.

Mixed up routes: It seems every game the receivers have at least one mixed-up moment that costs Tennessee a chance or causes a problem.

The Titans were behind only 7-0 when the biggie in this game arrived.

Hasselbeck threw up the left side and Hawkins appeared to be out of position as cornerback Dunta Robinson intercepted the pass.

The receiver stopped running, looking around puzzled instead of pouncing to touch Robinson while he was down. Robinson got up and ran for 14 yards.

Guard Jake Scott yelled at Hawkins over the failure to stop a return. Hasselbeck pointed and screamed as he left the field, clearly annoyed by the way the play unfolded.

Damian Williams, who ran a post on the same side of the field, said the underneath receiver is supposed to cut in if the Titans are running it or cut out if they are throwing it. He said he was partially to blame for not getting the check communicated.

Said Hasselbeck: “I believe what happened is when I checked, Hawk wasn’t looking at me. I think when I checked they were adjusting who was on the ball, who was off the ball. I was trying to throw it to Hawk, yes. I’m not sure if he knew it was a pass or not.”

Mistakes will happen, I understand.

If the Titans are getting 1.1 yards a carry from Chris Johnson, they need to be an exact passing offense, however. Under the previous regime, Hawkins didn’t get on the field much because he was regarded as undependable.

On that and the Titans being average or worse, things don’t appear to have changed much.

Reading the coverage ...

Houston Texans

Throwback football personified by a bloody Brian Cushing has the Texans three games over .500 for the first time in franchise history, writes John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

Arian Foster and Ben Tate have four 100-plus-yard efforts apiece this season, writes Dale Robertson of The Houston Chronicle. “And to think that just two years ago, before Tate had been drafted and while Foster was trying to shuck the anonymity of being an undrafted rookie free agent, the Texans didn't deliver a 100-yard afternoon until Foster broke through on the season's final Sunday.” It’s an incredible advantage and luxury to have two backs of such high quality.

Much-maligned cornerback Kareem Jackson may have played his best game for the Texans, writes McClain. I’m glad to see the progress, but need to see this caliber of play against a tougher opponent in a tighter game.

Richard Justice of the Chronicle can’t find much to nitpick about out of the win over the Browns.

Brooks Reed is picking up what the Texans lost when Mario Williams went down, says Jeffrey Martin of the Chronicle.

Shaun Cody picked off a two-point conversion pass, says the Chronicle staff.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts were frustrated and baffled by another blowout loss, writes Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star.

Bob Kravitz of the Star looks at the Colts’ competition with Miami for the No. 1 pick in the draft: “Remember the day when we watched the scoreboard to see how soon the Colts might clinch home-field advantage? Remember how we spent November preparing the annual rest-'em-or-play-'em debate? Now we're a city of Dolfans, checking our phones to get updates on the Miami game.”

Kelvin Hayden had a great day for the Falcons but feels for his old teammates, says Phillip B. Wilson.

Donald Brown got most of the carries after Delone Carter lost a fumble, says Chappell.

Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald says the Dolphins trading for Peyton Manning is an intriguing possibility.

Kravitz’s report card.

Nate Dunlevy of 18to88.com shreds Kravitz’s Sunday column in the Indianapolis Star that shredded Chris Polian.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Among the class of rookie quarterbacks, Blaine Gabbert’s been subpar, writes Tania Ganguli of the Times-Union. But anticipation, footwork and mechanics are coachable flaws, says one analyst. I think most of us understand the limitations he’s got with the Jaguars' offensive personnel. Still, we just want one big flash that shows off the promise.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans botched the second half and lost to the Bengals Sunday, says Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. The vibe about the team that had gone from 3-1 to 4-4 has changed.

The Titans have a split personality that leaves David Climer of The Tennessean struggling to see them better than 8-8 at season’s end.

Chris Johnson had a solid first half, then disappeared, says Wyatt. Also covered in this notebook: Jared Cook’s fumble, Mike Munchak’s fourth-down decision, Damian Williams’ great catch and an injury rundown.

The offense found a groove in the first half, then was a second-half disaster, says John Glennon of The Tennessean.

Receiver A.J. Green was pretty special against the Titans, writes Glennon.

Wyatt’s report card.