After Week 1, it is safe to say that this division is completely wide open. Most people had the Indianapolis Colts running away with the division but with their offensive line, or the lack thereof, nothing is certain. The Tennessee Titans surprised everyone by trouncing the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead, the Jacksonville Jaguars were manhandling the Philadelphia Eagles until a couple of injuries thinned them out on defense, and the Houston Texans already have half as many wins as they did all of last season. Here is a look at the AFC South games in Week 2:
Jacksonville Jaguars at Washington Redskins, Sunday 1PM ET
With a receiving corps riddled with injury, the Jaguars were hoping someone would step up. Allen Hurns did just that. Hurns had four receptions for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Not bad for an undrafted rookie. This week he will be going up against a Washington Redskins secondary that had a -2.8 PFF (subscription) grade in Week 1 so look for him to have another big week.
Staying on the offensive side of the ball, running back Toby Gerhart hopes to be ready by Sunday but that might not happen. He sat out of Wednesday’s practice with an ankle sprain.
Second-year safety Johnathan Cyprien is still going through the NFL’s concussion protocol so his status for Sunday is still up in the air. The way getting cleared for a concussion goes, it is completely up in the air right now.
Even with all the injuries Jacksonville has already sustained and their reliance on younger players to step up, I still expect the Jaguars to pull out a victory. The Redskins’ defense isn’t very good, especially their secondary and the Jags will take full advantage with Hurns and fellow rookie wide receiver Marqise Lee. The Redskins’ offense looks pretty bad as well since quarterback Robert Griffin III has decided to become a pocket passer. Their offense will continue to struggle.
Dallas Cowboys at Tennessee Titans, Sunday 1PM ET
These teams couldn’t have had any more opposite of Week 1 games. Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo looked exactly how you’d expect a 34-year-old quarterback coming off of back surgery would look against the San Francisco 49ers while his team got beat 28-17. On the other hand, the Tennessee Titans surprised everyone by going into Kansas City and beating the Chiefs 26-10.
The Titans’ 7.4 PFF pass coverage rating was the best in the league in Week 1. Albeit they did it against a Chiefs receiving corps that isn’t nearly as talented as that of the Cowboys’, it’s still very impressive. And if Romo makes the same decisions he did against the 49ers, he’s going to be in for another very long game.
This could also be a game where Titans quarterback Jake Locker really goes off. The Cowboys secondary had a lot of blown coverages and missed assignments against the 49ers and wide receivers Kendall Wright and Justin Hunter are going to give the Cowboys’ secondary fits.
The Titans had a very impressive game last week and the Cowboys had a very disappointing one, I do expect the Cowboys to pull out the victory in this one. I think the Cowboys have more talent on their roster and it’ll show. The Titans are young and will be inconsistent all year. I like them moving forward, but not this week.
Houston Texans at Oakland Raiders, Sunday 4:25PM ET
The Houston Texans’ defense looked extremely good last week against the Washington Redskins. The Oakland Raiders’ offense looked terrible against the New York Jets’ defense. The question for Week 2 is: will these trends continue? With the Texans missing rookie phenom Jadeveon Clowney, their defense will certainly take a small step back. However, with J.J. Watt still playing, the Raiders offense will have their hands full trying to slow him down.
I don’t see the Texans’ offense as anything special, especially with Ryan Fitzpatrick still leading them. Their full potential won’t be reached until they turn the offense over to Ryan Mallett. Also, look for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to continue to take the next step as the number two option behind veteran Andre Johnson. Last week Hopkins had 89 yards and a touchdown on four receptions.
If I were forced to choose a winner in this game I would have to take the Texans. I think their defense is better and it certainly helps they’re facing a rookie quarterback in his second game. Their offense is better at this point as well. The Raiders might finish the season with a better record than the Texans but I expect the Texans to take this game on Sunday.
Philadelphia Eagles at Indianapolis Colts, Monday 8:30PM ET
Both teams in this game had terrible first halves in their respective games and turned it on in the second half for a comeback. The difference is that the Philadelphia Eagles were able to pull out a victory with the Indianapolis Colts lost their game.
The Colts are going to look at the Week 1 film of what the Jaguars were able to do to the Eagles on offense and try to emulate that. Quarterback Andrew Luck is going to be looking for wide receiver T.Y. Hilton a lot downfield. Look for Hilton to have a few big receptions while Reggie Wayne earns his paycheck on intermediate routes. The only thing that might prevent this is the Colts’ offensive line. Andrew Luck was constantly running for his life Sunday night against the Denver Broncos.
The Colts’ defense is going to have problems with the Eagles’ offense. The pace at which they play is hard to match on defense. The saving grace for the Colts, however, is the Eagles’ lack of depth on their offensive line. If they can create pressure on quarterback Nick Foles, they can make it a lot harder for them to run as many plays as they’d like.
I see the Colts walking away from this one with a win. They don’t want to start the season 0-2 and know they have to play a complete game this time around to win. The Eagles’ biggest strength, their offense, is vulnerable because of their offensive line. Also, in a quarterback driven league the gap between Luck and Foles is substantial and will be apparent.