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Houston Texans

We’re back to the basics here. Nobody thinks we’re going anywhere in the playoffs because we’ve got a rookie third-string quarterback playing and we head into the postseason on a three-game losing streak. But we’re confident that in a rocking Reliant Stadium, we’ll open some eyes, again, with a big performance against the Bengals. We’ve got great playcallers on both sides of the ball, we’ve got a rested Arian Foster, we’ve got a healthy Andre Johnson, we’ve got a smothering defensive front and we’ve got a lot better chance than most people think. We will be focused but loose this week, and while we take pride in having made it here, we’re hardly satisfied with the idea of this as our final destination.

Indianapolis Colts

We’re expecting news today on Jim Caldwell, and we’re not expecting it to be a vote of confidence. Look: That was an ugly season. Losing Peyton Manning was going to be painful. We didn’t have nearly the personnel that we thought we did in a scenario without him, and the front office takes a big hit on that. But this franchise didn’t adjust its thinking, strategy or identity enough without him, and that falls on the head coach and his staff. It certainly hurts Caldwell’s case, too, that our defense played so much better once his coordinator, Larry Coyer, was tossed and replaced with Mike Murphy. Who stays and who goes is a question that needs to be answered well beyond Caldwell, however, with regard to the front office, coaching staff and roster.

Jacksonville Jaguars

We overestimated ourselves. Even if we stayed healthy, as a dominant defensive and running team we serve as a blueprint for just how necessary an effective passing offense and true receiving weapons mean to a team. No, we didn’t intend or want to start Blaine Gabbert in 14 games. But we allowed a framework to exist where that is what we had to do, and we paid the price for it. If we can bolster the defense at defensive end and cornerback, then all our resources can go toward weapons and protection and maximizing Gabbert’s chances to grow into a success. First, however, we need Shahid Khan to take over and sort out the plan of attack for our coaching search with general manager Gene Smith. Who should we chase? Who can we get?

Tennessee Titans

Expectations change as results come in. So a team that was 3-1 and 7-5 should have expected to qualify for the playoffs. We know that. We accept that. Ultimately, we underachieved by at least one game. But, we came into this season with a new coach and staff and two new quarterbacks without and offseason together. We lost our top receiver, Kenny Britt, for the season in our third game. Our running back, who sold himself as a playmaker who extended beyond his position, didn’t produce nearly what we expected. And our defense was inconsistent and didn’t generate nearly enough pressure. Does that sound like the construct of a 9-7 team to you? We’re disappointed and we have a lot of work to do. But set our arrow up because we’re on our way.

What I think they are thinking (or should be) in the headquarters of the four teams of the AFC South …

Houston Texans

We had played at a consistently high level for a long stretch, and against the Panthers we didn’t come close to the standard we’ve set. That was not us, that was an aberration, the kind of one-week dud that pops up for good teams from time to time. We’ll bounce back with a big finish. It’s nothing to panic over, though we have some issues to resolve like Arian Foster’s sudden propensity to fumble and our red zone production. We’re happy to be getting back on the field quickly to wash this one away, and while we respect the Colts and see they played far better in their win against the Titans, we’ll prepare and play our game and should handle them.

Indianapolis Colts

That felt good. It had been too long. The defense really set us up for success and we’ll take the Titans’ foolish approach if it benefits us as it did. It’s odd to see it floating around that one good day will save Jim Caldwell’s job. Are we really significantly different today than we were on Saturday? Why would he want to stay in this job with all it entails going forward, anyway? Even on a winning day, our dysfunction shined through. If the team had been forthcoming about what was going on with Peyton Manning during the week, Bill Polian wouldn’t have felt the need to take the podium after the game to explain it all in defensive fashion.

Jacksonville Jaguars

We’ve now met Shahid Khan and know a fresh start is coming. If we want paychecks signed by him, we better show we deserve a place with the franchise going forward. Thursday in Atlanta was an absolute embarrassment, and the conversation is constantly about what we don’t have around Blaine Gabbert. The league didn’t bar us from signing or drafting anyone threatening on offense before the season, did it? We know the Titans well, we beat them on opening day. A sweep of a familiar opponent would really be something. It won’t come easily, as they are surely ticked about that loss in Indy and still have a remote chance at a playoff spot.

Tennessee Titans

We stunk, and we really embarrassed ourselves with that massive dud. Mike Munchak and offensive coordinator Chris Palmer should be disappointed in how we performed, but they should take their share of the blame here, too. How do you watch the Colts’ season-long struggles and decide you need to be conservative on offense in order to beat them? That wasn’t very smart. We’ve got a quarterback controversy whether we want one or not, and no matter what Munchak says today, the conversation will dominate Nashville all week. We need to play well for whichever signal-caller is on the field. We’ve still got a playoff shot, and strange things happen all the time in this league, right?

What I think they’re thinking (or should be) in the headquarters of the three AFC South teams that played on Sunday…

Houston Texans

Nobody’s got as good a story as we do this season, and that’s not such a big deal except when you think of it in terms of team-building and belief. Because of that story -- how we’ve overcome injuries, a ridiculous defensive transformation from 2010, coach’s job on the line -- we’ve built a deep belief. We came into the season with guys like the author of this piece questioning our mental toughness and fortitude. Well how do you like these apples? That deep belief has helped grow a mental fortitude that has to rank as well as that of any team in the league right now. Atlanta was supposed to be one of our last, toughest challenges and we beat the Falcons. There is no reason we can’t go to Cincinnati now and knock of a team that’s been faltering.

Indianapolis Colts

We aren’t in a moral victory business and coming back from a big deficit in New England to make it close at the end isn’t anything we can hang our hat on. Bill Polian will likely say on the radio tonight that it showed off a fighting spirit and is evidence of how Jim Caldwell’s voice still resonates. But let’s be honest, what’s a resonating voice worth at 0-12? How many franchises are talking about that as their big thing right now? Dan Orlovsky did a lot of good work as we fought back, though the Patriots had a big cushion and didn’t have a big problem allowing us to mount a lot of throwing yardage. It is worth asking why he didn’t play sooner, though he hardly would have cured all our ills. Another round of injuries means our defense could stand to be even worse on Sunday in Baltimore.

Tennessee Titans

Two in a row feels pretty good. But we can hardly let up, and New Orleans offense is likely to be the most difficult matchup we’ve had all season. We may not be New England or Pittsburgh or Houston or even Baltimore now, though we beat the Ravens in Week 2. But we’ve beaten Denver and certainly qualify as in the same quality tier as those teams and the Jets, Oakland or even Cincinnati (though we lost to the Bengals) right now. If we manage 3-1 in the final quarter it’s 10-6. Completely feasible. And how many people before the season picked us as a playoff contender or a post-season participant? The wait for Chris Johnson to round back into form took too long, but he looks legitimately back now, and we can ride him a good distance.

What I think they are thinking (or should be) in the headquarters of the four teams of the AFC South this afternoon ...

Houston Texans

We’re the No. 1 seed in the AFC today, and no one knows who our new quarterback, rookie T.J. Yates is. That’s not our concern. They probably don’t know who Connor Barwin is either, but he had four sacks in our win in Jacksonville. Having people who are known is not a worry, winning is. We’re in position to go win this division and be in the playoff field. We have enough to do it with if we just plan smart, play smart and call a smart game without over-thinking things. Atlanta is the best team we will face in a while, but if the Falcons provide a bump in the road, it won’t mark the start of some unraveling, it’ll just be a bump in the road.

Indianapolis Colts

Did Jim Caldwell really hit the Curtis Painter-improved theme again on Monday? Seriously? Boy, if that’s improvement, my play must have graded out at near perfect. I mean, what sort of increments is Coach looking at exactly? His ability to continue to say the same things as if all is OK or if we’re close to something with any meaning besides Andrew Luck is upsetting and has spoiled him for me. In a season of embarrassments, we’re about to hit the road for what will the two biggest embarrassments of the season with trips to New England and Baltimore. But we won’t panic. Why would we with Painter getting better and all? We should get a Peyton Manning update this week, maybe there’ll be some good news there.

Jacksonville Jaguars

We slowed down the Texans' run game Sunday and Maurice Jones-Drew averaged 5.5 yards a carry. Those are about the only good developments ESPN can talk about as it discusses us heading into a "Monday Night Football" game in Jacksonville against the Chargers. Our coach is on his way out; their coach is on his way out. Maybe that’ll be the production theme for the game: Jack Del Rio versus Norv Turner. This rebuild is slow and the quarterback at the center of it, Blaine Gabbert, is not showing improvement. That’s the most disheartening thing. His surroundings are bad -- coaching, protection, weapons -- but even so he’s not showed enough to assure us he’s the long-term cornerstone.

Tennessee Titans

Hey, it was an ugly game. That’s fine. The Buccaneers were a little uglier than we were, and at 6-5 we’re still one of the nine-best teams in the AFC vying for six playoff spots. It could be better but it certainly could be worse. And that was the closest thing we’ve seen to the old Chris Johnson all year. Maybe he and the blockers woke up and now we’ll be able to be a more balanced offense in our five remaining games. Maybe we can clean up the giveaways and keep it up with the takeaways. We need to stop the win one, lose one pattern. The Bills sure look ripe for the taking and we could pull to 7-5 Sunday in Buffalo.

What I think they’re thinking (or should be) in the headquarters of the four AFC South teams this afternoon.

Houston Texans

Back to work. Can’t wait. It’s amazing how many people won’t allow for the possibility that Matt Leinart has grown up and improved. But there are an awful lot of quarterbacks whose second acts were better than their firsts. We need to make sure he gets the same production from the supporting cast that Matt Schaub was getting. That means we run block efficiently, springing Arian Foster and Ben Tate. It means we play defense befitting the No. 1 unit in the league -- and that shouldn’t be hard considering how bad the Jaguars are on offense. Jacksonville’s defense will be a big challenge, but we have reason to be confident we’ll be just fine overall.

Indianapolis Colts

More of this? How unfair. We guess we are obligated to trudge through six more games and suffer the consequences of a season without Peyton Manning and with a poorly planned and constructed secondary. There is no sympathy for us and we don’t deserve any. Most people around the league were sick of our success and are enjoying our failures. Manning’s got an important check-up in December, and December isn’t that far off, so there is something to look forward to. Cam Newton and the Panthers, meanwhile, are not something we’re looking forward to. The rookie quarterback has shredded defenses a lot better than ours.

Jacksonville Jaguars

We’ve got a good defense but an offense lacking talent and lacking an experienced quarterback. We got ourselves in a tightly contested game in Cleveland and we executed well enough to be in position to win at the end. In a spot like that, we need to be well-positioned by our coaches to maximize our chances to win. They failed us. They botched the timing of our final timeout, which cost us a chance at one extra play. And they out-thought themselves by not calling for a Maurice Jones-Drew carry at the goal line on what was certain to be the game’s final play. Jack Del Rio defended the timeout strategy but complained about the pace of the play that slowed things down. He’s the guy who’s in charge of having us ready to execute in a hurry. JDR also passed the buck to offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter for the play selection. We understand he doesn’t want to meddle, and we guess that’s admirable on some level. But he has to take the heat here, because he has the power to click the headset at any time and say something like, “run Maurice here.” It’s no one’s fault but his own if he fails to use his override power.

Tennessee Titans

It’s becoming easier and easier to think we don’t have the people we need to stand toe-to-toe with a team like the Falcons. Their offensive firepower is more than we could handle, and we made stupid mistakes, especially in the penalty department. Jake Locker provided a nice boost, but we shouldn’t need an injury at quarterback to show life and we’re expecting Matt Hasselbeck to be back in the huddle as we host Tampa Bay Sunday. The Bucs are up against it like we are. While we’ve struggled against good teams, we are still in position to be in position to make a bid for a wild-card berth. But time is running out for us to start the kind of little streak we’ll need to make it happen.

What I think they are thinking, or should be, in the headquarters of the four AFC South teams this afternoon…

Houston Texans

Gary Kubiak gave a bunch of banged up guys the sort of light practice week they needed, then set them loose on Sunday in Tampa Bay. We won easily, boosting our record to 7-3. Based on our tie-breaker head-to-head result with the Steelers, we’re the best team in the AFC right now. The bye will feel oh so good, and we’ll get a rest we deserve. We’ve played catch up in a lot of seasons while unsuccessfully chasing a playoff spot. Now we’ll be a team being chased. We feel more than ready for such a beautiful reversal. A break and six games to the finish line, with Andre Johnson thrown back into the mix will make for fun times going forward. Who’s got our combination or success, belief and talent right now?

Indianapolis Colts

You mean we have to come back? This bye thing sounds great, are we sure we can’t just be dismissed for the remainder of the season? It’s silly to hear coach stand up and talk about improving and being close and all of that, but what’s he supposed to do? We don’t need public statements from Jim Caldwell or Bill Polian or Chris Polian to know the sad and obvious truth. We’re terrible. We’re going to get the No. 1 pick in the draft and set off a massive storyline about Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning. There is no way after those verdicts are rendered that we should expect Manning to return and things to return to “normal.” If he’s himself and he’s back, he needs more to work with and a better defense to get him back the ball. Our scouts better be working extra.

Jacksonville Jaguars

We beat a horrible team, as we should have, and our defense carried us, as it should have. But the trip to Indianapolis was a good measuring stick for our offense, too. And the fact is, against a terrible team, it did enough to win but not enough to get excited about. Why would we hesitate for a second to do anything now that doesn’t serve Blaine Gabbert’s chances to succeed and grow? This coaching staff is going to be cleaned out, and the good guys from it will land in places with jobs that are just fine. But their parting gifts here can be to grow their early stake in Gabbert’s career. And maybe something like a key touchdown catch from Jarett Dillard will spark someone like Dillard to life.

Tennessee Titans

Yeah, we’re not quite sure who we are either. But people overrated the Panthers and we jumped to a lead, did great work against Cam Newton and showed we’re a good deal better than Carolina. Being better than them and being as good as the best teams in the AFC are two very different things, though. When Baltimore loses in Seattle it dilutes our biggest accomplishment of the year. Our toughest challenges have not been our best days. So in Atlanta we need to show how we measure up to a contender, on the road. The challenges the Falcons will provide will be way tougher than what the Panthers brought. Are we good enough to win that one, or do we prove again to be average?

What I think they’re thinking in the headquarters of the four AFC South teams this afternoon…

Houston Texans

We’re getting the hang of this, and 6-3 speaks for itself and says a lot about us. But beyond the Steelers, this doesn’t look like a line of playoff teams we’ve been beating either. So we need to stay mindful of that and not allow ourselves to believe anything more than that we’re good and we know it. Our defense is ranked No. 1 right now, and that’s quite an achievement considering a lot of people thought if we could just get to around 15 or 16 we’d make a huge improvement as a team. If we can make the plays we’ve made to earn this ranking, we shouldn’t just win the division, we should have a chance to host a game and make a run.

Indianapolis Colts

Every day is Groundhog Day, just different versions of the same stuff over and over and over. It’s terribly embarrassing to be 0-9 and we’ve got a proud bunch at our core. It’s hard not to imagine dramatic change as a result of the way things are unfolding. Clearly this is about more than being without Peyton Manning. Stick him back into this mix next year and we’d be a lot better, but playoff caliber better? We’re not so sure. We are sure we’re going to keep hearing questions about getting the top draft pick and what Andrew Luck would look like with a horseshoe on his helmet.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Time away is always good and we certainly needed it. But the things that ail us are things that can’t be fixed by time off. Odds are we don’t make any drastic changes, but why not? What’s to lose if we try to open things up? The Colts have good pass rushers, but a terrible secondary and poor tackling. Let’s protect just a little less in exchange for opening up to let Blaine Gabbert do more and take some shots. Surely our targets can get some separation and yards after the catch against the Indianapolis defense. People think we could be the Colts' first win. We think our defense will absolutely squash Curtis Painter.

Tennessee Titans

This thing can get away from us in a hurry if we don’t find our balance. Houston’s two up on us in the win column and crushed us head-to-head. We only got one win out of a three-game home stand, our receivers and pass-catching tight end aren’t good enough and now they are banged up. Carolina’s hardly the pushover it looked like back in the offseason, and the Panthers are coming off a bye. The pass rush is on the list of disappointments and we need to do better chasing Cam Newton than we’ve done chasing quarterbacks in recent weeks. That’ll be tough because of his ability as a runner.

What they should be thinking in the headquarters of the three AFC South teams who played on Sunday ...

Houston Texans

The rollercoaster has climbed the steep section of track again. There cannot be another free fall coming. Of our eight remaining opponents, three have winning records, and we should be able to hang with Tampa Bay, Atlanta and Cincinnati. The other five teams have a combined 8-23 record. The table is set for us, but we’ve heard it before. People will be high on us again now, and we need not to hear it. Danieal Manning has been very solid for us at safety, and now we’re going to miss him for a long stretch, or maybe the season. Has Troy Nolan developed enough for us to be able to survive that loss? If he’s ready to play at a solid level, we should be in good shape going forward. With Jacksonville and Cleveland coming to town, we can’t let down, but we should be 6-3 in a couple weeks.

Indianapolis Colts

What a disaster. What do we do from here? The Saints are way better than us, but our coaches have to give us a better chance than they did with that plan. Typically a team in our position would still have guys feeling like they need to bust it the rest of the way to enhance their status going forward. But our stars are safe, with reputations that can’t be ruined. And our fringe guys will get tossed aside in large quantity as we revamp after the season. So as we hear about Jim Caldwell’s uncertain future, it’s hard to know what exactly we are sticking together for beyond personal pride. And even personal pride gets worn down during a season like this. Tennessee is going to be looking for a big bounce back after its debacle against Houston. It’s probably not an ideal scenario for us to break through. But at this point what would be such a scenario?

Tennessee Titans

The time for patience is over. Under Mike Munchak, the theme’s been to know what you’re supposed to do and do it. Chris Johnson looked timid and uninterested against the Texans, and I’m sure that’s not in his job description. The interior line is a mess when it comes to run blocking. This is supposed to be a new era of accountability, and the ultimate way to make people accountable is to take away playing time. Whether it’s center Eugene Amano or left guard Leroy Harris, it’s time to pull an offensive lineman and see if things don’t get better with Fernando Velasco starting. And Johnson doesn’t need to sit entirely. How about working him as a third-down back? Against a tougher defense, I’d make that move. But Johnson should be able to get it going against the Colts, who can’t tackle at all. If CJ doesn’t make anything happen early, we need to be ready to turn to Javon Ringer.

What I think they’re thinking in the headquarters of the four AFC South teams this afternoon…

Houston Texans

How do we go forward without Mario Williams? We’ve done some fantastic things up front on defense, and he’s really the centerpiece of it all. Take him out and remove the biggest worry an offense has blocking us and we could be sunk. We know guys are thinking that today and are wondering if the mental makeup/ inability-to-finish questions that always cling to us are legitimate. The job in the building today is to purge all that and to convince ourselves we can go up to Baltimore without Andre Johnson and Williams and still find a way to win. Beat the Ravens, quiet a lot of questions and move on. Don't and we'll start to hear loud talk about crumbling and the future of Gary Kubiak.

Indianapolis Colts

Well, if you missed what Robert Mathis said after the game, he summed it up awfully well. We are scraping the bottom of the barrel. How could we have thought we had a game in the bag with a 17-point lead based on how we’ve played? We won’t get a winning effort out of Curtis Painter every week, but we got one against the Chiefs and we found every way to show that the depth of our problems extends well beyond missing our cover-up quarterback. For years, we’d have welcomed a trip to Cincinnati as a respite. But now the Bengals have a good defense. And if you look at our next three -- at Cincy, at New Orleans and at Tennessee -- we could be talking about oh-for-half a season.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Coach talked about how he still likes this team, likes our character, thinks we’ll get things going in the right direction. Is that the right tactic? Should he be lighting us up instead, telling us how we’re not getting it done and need to step it up? We don’t know. We’re confused. With each loss we wonder more about the construct of this team. Do we really have enough to win with? Do we really believe we do? If so, why have we lost four in a row against teams that, outside of New Orleans, are hardly fantastic? Jack Del Rio says the challenge now is to shut out the outside criticism. That’s kind of self-preservationist, isn’t it, since much of that criticism is of him? The talk of his future could soon become the pre-eminent conversation about this team. If it isn’t already.

Tennessee Titans

What a dud. We need to let that one soak in and feel the full impact before we close the door on it, move forward and attempt to spin positive. We need to wonder a bit if we really belong grouped with the best teams in the conference. Then we need to show the resolve to prove we do. We’ve got a week off to get our heads straight and to get our plans in order for the Texans’ visit on Oct. 23. We win that one and we’ll be 4-2 and, at worst, be even with Houston atop the division having beaten the Texans. If we play four games this season like we did at Jacksonville and Pittsburgh, we can still fare very well. But we were a pretty good team around this time last year when the wheels started coming off. We have better people leading us now to make sure it doesn’t happen again. We just need to get back to work.

What I think they are thinking in the headquarters of the four teams of the AFC South …

Houston Texans

It was one game against a great team. We’ll hardly be the only team that Drew Brees shreds this season. We have to make sure guys like Ben Roethlisberger, Jason Campbell and Joe Flacco don’t have a chance to do anything similar. Offensively, we will work and work and work on our red zone production. People talk about our lack of killer instinct and we’re sick of hearing about it, but when we kick so many field goals when we have a chance to run away from a team, it’s a fair topic. We need to get to the root of that fourth-quarter pick and the three-and-out series, which were real killers. Fullback James Casey was great playing like the tight end we know he really is. Can we get that out of him on a regular basis?

Indianapolis Colts

No, we’re not claiming any moral victory. But we sure showed we’re invested and determined and have some pride in the way we played against Pittsburgh on Sunday. There is enough there that we can turn it into winning efforts against the teams we’re about to face -- Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Cincinnati. We have to remind ourselves as we plan for those games and as we play, that we’re not conceding anything by handing the ball off more. And we need to dissect our run defense against the Steelers to make sure we know what we did so we can keep doing it. We’ve got other lingering questions. Does Kerry Collins’ concussion mean he’s out next week? If he’s healthy, do we have a quarterback controversy anyway? Does it mean anything that we played against the run so well with Fili Moala out of the lineup?

Jacksonville Jaguars

Coaches need to work to hold onto players this week. How much faith can we have right now when the offense was so conservative -- never mind the rookie quarterback and the rain, let’s go win the game. Then Jack Del Rio says to blame him over clock-management trouble that cost us a play at the end. If a player makes a comparable mistake, he can earn entry into Del Rio’s dog house. So does Del Rio go in there now? These other teams with rookie QBs are energized by the fresh start. We need that, but it’s going to be hard to find against the Saints. It’s time for all these new defenders to show up with a few big plays. If we don’t get some against New Orleans, it could be ugly.

Tennessee Titans

Hate to harp on it, but boy does having a true leader at quarterback make a difference. Look how good Matt Hasselbeck is helping make guys such as Nate Washington. We had some moments in the win over Denver that should carry over for us, starting with the big goal-line stand. You better believe we were making a statement with that. Talk Texans all you like, but we’re 2-1, too, and feeling good about ourselves. We ought to be able to win in Cleveland even without Kenny Britt. But without him, we’re going to be counting even more on pass protection and Hasselbeck. It would be a good time to figure out and solve our run struggles.

What I think they are thinking in the four headquarters of AFC South teams…

Houston Texans

Sunday was fun, but it’s Monday and we’re correcting mistakes and turning our attention to Miami. This will be a week filled with accolades and hype and we need to not get caught up in all of that or we will put the great result against the Colts to waste. We’ll watch the Dolphins on TV tonight against New England and hope the Patriots can take a lot out of Miami before it starts a short week. Confidence is high and that’s healthy. We want to build on it and grow it.

Indianapolis Colts

That was a brutal start, but there is a lot of stuff we can clean up and get better at in short order. And while we respect the Browns, Cleveland should offer a different level of test than the Texans did. Protection is the No. 1 issue on offense. We’re certain if Kerry Collins gets more time he can make connections with his targets. Defensively, we’ve got to be better against the run and get ourselves into more pass rush situations.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Not the neatest win, but we’ll always be fine with ugly. It’s a confidence builder that in a week when so many expected the quarterback change would distract us, we showed good focus. Our best offensive player, Maurice Jones-Drew, want more carries, which is a good thing. Our defense was active and we got good play from our new guys. The Jets are a significant notch better than the Titans, and we need to match this effort in New York.

Tennessee Titans

Well, issues we thought were dead resurfaced. Time of possession simply can’t be that lopsided against us, it creates a game where we can’t get touches for Chris Johnson, our best player. Penalties were bad, particularly on special teams. As bad as things were, we had a chance at the end. We’ll have to be better at just about everything in order to have a chance to upset the Ravens on Sunday.

Halfway through the preseason, here’s what I think they are thinking at the headquarters of the four AFC South teams …

Houston Texans

Our offense can be great and our defense has shown growth and progress. We’ve talked of belief before, but it’s at an all-time high. We know outsiders are loaded with doubt because we’ve disappointed them so many times, but we’re for real now and they shall soon see it. We’ve spent the preseason saying we’re not buying any bad news about Peyton Manning. But now that Colts owner Jim Irsay is saying Manning is in doubt for the start of the season, things change. Still, we won’t be counting on getting less than the real Colts on opening day, when we’re going to run all over them just like we did last year.

Indianapolis Colts

We stink in the preseason, that’s nothing new. But this time it’s more meaningful, because it’s more likely this is the team that will be playing on opening day. We can heap all sorts of artificial praise on Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky. We know it’s hard to believe any of it considering how they’ve played. We’ll be awful without Manning. Heck, we might start poorly with him considering we haven’t shown an ability to stop the run yet. There is a lot of hype about our demise. Talk away. When our quarterback returns, we can still be an elite team. The big questions are when will he be back and who’s playing in the meantime.

Jacksonville Jaguars

We’re making steady progress. Our defense is going to be much improved, and that’s vital considering we don’t yet know who our quarterback will be or what we will get from him. We’ve been super cautious with two crucial players. If Maurice Jones-Drew and Aaron Kampman end up giving us the jolt we expect on both sides of the ball, it will be a real boost. We still need receivers to emerge, but we feel like they will. But that’s not where we’re looking most intently. All eyes inside team headquarters are focused on the same people as all eyes outside. Will it be David Garrard or Blaine Gabbert? Someone needs to start to seize the job this week.

Tennessee Titans

Keep saying it’s a three-team division, please. Keep presuming we’re rebuilding and won’t be a factor. We’ll just be over here, quietly working efficiently. Set the Chris Johnson holdout aside. Even without him, we’ve been making huge strides. There is a new confidence with Mike Munchak at the helm and there isn’t a single doubter in the building about whether we are on the right track. Now belief is a wonderful thing, but you have to have sufficient talent to make it matter. Could we be more talented than people think? You may not put much weight on two preseason performances. But it’s all we’ve got so far, and it’s good.

What I think they’re thinking, or should be, in the headquarters of the four AFC South teams on Monday…

Houston Texans

Great. Now we have to spin that scuffle between Brian Cushing and Antonio Smith and defend our effort in a miserable loss to Tennessee. We’re officially out of it. We can no longer talk about sticking with it and working through it. It’s time to admit we’ve been an architecturally flawed team from the start, and that while we can be an explosive offense we simply don’t have the talent or the mentality it takes to compete for a playoff spot. Change is coming. We don’t know on what scale, but a case could be made to tear it down and start over.

Indianapolis Colts

We’re back to where we are used to being, atop the division. But we are only assured of staying there if we win the final two. If we do, 10-6 isn’t such a dramatic slip and no one will want to come to Lucas Oil Stadium for a wild-card game. Still, we’ve got major issues. Peyton Manning can’t thrive without Dallas Clark, Joseph Addai and Austin Collie. And after another concussion for Collie, we can’t expect him back. We’re a much less threatening offense without him. But we have to feel good about the shape of that win against the Jaguars.

Jacksonville Jaguars

We blew it. We just made too many mistakes against a good team in a tough place to play. We can blame that fourth-down misplay on a bad headset, but David Garrard should recognize the front and sneak it against a line with no one over center anyway, no? Jack Del Rio said before we beat Oakland that he’s still a Raiders fan. He’ll be a giant one this week, as a Raiders home win against the Colts is a crucial piece of help we need to get back into the playoff mix. When it comes to having control of our fate, we’re not finishers. But we’re not dead yet.

Tennessee Titans

When you’ve lost six in a row, you relish a win no matter what kind of issues the other team has. Our playmakers showed up big, and we need to be a Chris Johnson and Kenny Britt-driven team. We don’t need to spend any time thinking of our slim playoff chances. A trip to Kansas City where we leave on Christmas Day is more than enough to hold our focus. The Vince Young arrival and departure as a sideline observer was silly. It really isn’t that hard to be present for the whole game in the background like every other guy in similar circumstances.

What I think they’re thinking in the headquarters of the four AFC South teams on Monday.

Houston Texans

That could have been a nice, restful weekend after a Thursday night game. Except we all tossed and turned the entire time, with nightmares of our play-calling in Indianapolis and the tipped Hail Mary in Jacksonville. We also daydreamed about a different result in winnable games against the Jets and Chargers. If just one of those four games came out differently, we’d have a real chance here with the Colts having a down season. But no, we’re at 5-7, a super long-shot for the division crown, shooting just to match last year’s record as we prepare for an angry Ravens team on Monday night.

Indianapolis Colts

Peyton Manning will say he’s not pressing and we’ll echo the sentiment. But Tony Dungy knows what’s going on here and he can, and has, said Manning is pressing. How else to explain all these interceptions? We needed him to carry us and he did. But the wheels are coming off now. This is our first three-game losing streak and first-six-loss season since 2002. Manning has 11 picks in three weeks. We’ll all look to him and see steady and unflinching, but maybe for the first we’ll wonder about what’s actually going on in his head and if there is any doubt there. We still have control, though, and the Titans can’t score with us. So we’ve got that going for us, which is nice.

Jacksonville Jaguars

All the work, all the patience is paying off. Good teams come together and play their best in December, and we’re doing that. We’ve got as clear an identity as anyone in the division. We’re that tough, physical, run-it-down-your throat team. We can win on the road. We can win in the cold. We’ve got perspective and focus and while our hopes are about playing at home in the playoffs in January, we are locked in on Oakland at EverBank Field on Sunday. If we take care of the Raiders, we set up our biggest game in recent history the following Sunday at Indianapolis. Go ahead, overlook or dismiss us. We’re thriving on it.

Tennessee Titans

We’re sapped. There is no getting around it. We’re not among the league’s biggest teams and we are getting worn down. We just got manhandled by the Jaguars, a team we pride ourselves on being able to beat in a physical battle. Perhaps there is some solace in a quick turn for a matchup with the Colts, because they are even smaller than us. Unfortunately, they’ve got a ticked off quarterback who’s been struggling and will be looking to pick us apart. Even if he throws picks, he’ll throw touchdowns. And it’s been 13 quarters since our offense was in the end zone for anything other than warm-ups.

What I think they are thinking in the headquarters of the four AFC South teams Monday…

Houston Texans

Seriously? We deserved at least overtime, didn’t we? Even if we chalk up Jacksonville’s Hail Mary to luck -- and there is a big degree of it in any of those situations that work -- we simply cannot give the Jaguars the ball in that situation. Had Joel Dreessen not fumbled on the second-to-last play of the game, we might be sorting out a clock mess and a failure to get off a field-goal attempt. But at least we’d have had our shot in overtime. Three losses in a row. A 4-5 record. At least two teams to climb to get into wild-card contention. A very tough upcoming schedule. We might be toast.

Indianapolis Colts

We’re stuck together with rubber bands and duct tape, it feels like. And we managed an early surge and five takeaways in a win against Cincinnati. That was enough for us to get a win against a bad team and look ahead to a huge road trip. We’re 6-3 with all our injuries and have a chance to go to New England and pull even with the Patriots. Nobody’s going to like our chances, so we can take an us-against-the-world approach. If we can get a couple guys back from injury and have our top linebackers and running backs available, we’ll happily take our chances with the scenario.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Hey, we got a big break. But Mike Thomas knew where he was and what he was doing, too, and we’re going to revel in a big moment. Houston was the darling pick to make a charge to the playoffs while everyone was still joking about blackouts in North Florida and talking about how we passed on Tim Tebow. Well guess what? We just beat those Texans and we’re even with the Titans at 5-4 (thought we lost head-to-head), only a game behind the Colts. We’ll scrap. We’re getting good play from David Garrard. Maurice Jones-Drew looked refreshed. Terrance Knighton showed some leadership in our first game without Aaron Kampman. Don’t sleep on us.

Tennessee Titans

We should have done more to temper the expectations on Randy Moss. Yes, we missed him two or three times when there was big-play potential. But this is a receiver, not a quarterback or running back. He’s not starting out with the ball in his hands. Our quarterbacks were lousy, and we’ll face questions about Vince Young’s toughness considering he didn’t insist on starting, but ran around just fine when he was inserted to replace the injured Kerry Collins. We lost to a third-string quarterback, we gave up back-to-back big gains on the same Wildcat play, we are 2-4 in the AFC. We’ve got a lot of work to do.