Indianapolis is coming back to the pack. Or the pack is catching up to the Colts.
Either way, the AFC South appears to be up for grabs for one of the few times in the past decade, bringing added luster to Monday night's matchup between the Tennessee Titans and host Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Titans and Jaguars are both 3-2 and part of a four-way logjam with the Colts and Houston Texans for first place in the division.
Tennessee shook off a home loss to Denver on Oct. 3 and rebounded with an impressive 34-27 victory at Dallas last week.
Despite surrendering over 500 yards in total offense and watching the Cowboys hold the ball for more than 36 minutes, the Titans ran their winning streak against NFC opponents to 11 straight games.
Chris Johnson rambled for 131 yards and a pair of touchdowns and Tennessee registered six sacks, giving it a league-leading 22 on the season.
Following a year in which he rushed for over 2,000 yards, Johnson is second in the league with 485 yards rushing through five games.
He shredded Jacksonville's defense for 228 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-13 victory in Nashville on Nov. 1, 2009.
Johnson is seeking his eight consecutive 100-yard game on the road. The last team to hold him under that number away from home was the Jaguars, who limited Johnson to 83 yards on 16 carries in a 37-17 win over visiting Tennessee on Oct. 4, 2009.
Titans quarterback Vince Young was just 12 for 25 for 173 yards and two touchdowns last week, but he played his third consecutive turnover-free game and has six scoring passes vs. two interceptions on the season.
Second-year wide receiver Kenny Britt, who was heavily criticized by coach Jeff Fisher during the preseason, had four receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown. It was his third straight game with a touchdown reception.
The Jaguars have rebounded from a pair of dreadful offensive showings to amass 77 points in back-to-back wins over the Colts (31-28) and Buffalo Bills (36-26) last week.
Quarterback David Garrard, who appeared to be on the verge of losing his job after the Jaguars were outscored 66-16 in consecutive losses to San Diego and Philadelphia, has led the resurgence.
Garrard overcame some early miscues and rallied the Jaguars from a 10-point deficit last week, throwing for three touchdowns on 16-of-20 passing.
Tight end Marcedes Lewis had a pair of scoring receptions against the Bills, giving him a career-high five through five games.
In Jacksonville’s last two wins, Garrard is 33 of 42 with five touchdowns and one interception while ringing up passer ratings of 127.7 and 122.5.
In last year’s victory over the Titans, Garrard tossed three scoring passes and running back Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 177 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just eight carries.
Jones-Drew has been bothered by a wrist injury suffered in last week’s game, but is expected to play Monday. He had 84 yards on 19 carries while rookie Deji Karim added 70 yards on 15 carries against Buffalo.