The AFC South’s latest shake-up starts with Indianapolis, and it isn’t pretty. The Colts were sitting on a double-digit lead against a Titans team that had not won a game, then watched the whole thing unravel at home through a pile of unforced mistakes and bad choices. On a weekend when Houston and Jacksonville were busy going toe-to-toe in a matchup that looked a lot more like playoff football, the Colts were left taking the hardest hit in the division standings.
For Tennessee, the result was bizarre, even by the standards of a team still trying to find itself. A trip to face Lou Anarumo was enough to make the Titans look functional on offense, and somehow that translated into 26 points against Indianapolis.
The Titans are still clearly the division’s weakest club by a wide margin, but the upset doesn’t make the loss sting any less. They still have a long list of fixes, starting at quarterback, though Carnell Tate at least gave them one bright spot with his first career touchdown.
Indianapolis lands at No. 3 after a Week 6 collapse that exposed several problems all at once. Daniel Jones has turned into a real issue, and without any true vertical threat in the passing game, the Colts’ offense has gone flat. That lack of downfield stress has also made the run game easier to contain, leaving Shane Steichen with a unit that looks stale and stuck.
There are still pieces holding up their end. DeForest Buckner and Charvarius Ward continue to play like anchor pieces on defense.
But the support around them has been shaky. The linebackers have struggled to tackle, Justin Walley has been up and down, and Sauce Gardner’s departure seemed to swing the game’s momentum.
After what happened against Tennessee, it’s hard to argue Chris Ballard should be the only one facing the fallout, and it’s even harder to see this roster getting much better with Lou Anarumo on the sideline.
Houston checks in at No. 2, and the record is not telling the whole story there. At 2-4, the Texans might be the best team in football with that mark.
C.J. Stroud is playing at an MVP level, and outside of two late-game collapses, the offense has been sharp against the odds.
The defense hasn’t lived up to expectations, but the talent is obvious enough that it’s impossible to dismiss them. DeMeco Ryans has a group that looks dangerous, and this is the kind of team nobody wants to run into over the next couple of weeks.
At the top, Jacksonville holds the No. 1 spot even after falling just short of another overseas comeback against a division opponent. The Jaguars didn’t finish the job, but Liam Coen’s team still looks like the most complete group in the South on both sides of the ball.
They don’t always get the attention they deserve, but they’re a real threat. And if Travis Hunter is starting to click, with a pick and a touchdown catch in the same game, that only makes them tougher to deal with.
In Other News...
Colts Rebuild Could Force A Painful Decision On One Veteran Star
With Chris Ballard out and the Colts suddenly staring at a different kind of season, the front office has to decide whether to keep trying to patch together a veteran core or start turning those pieces into future draft capital. Interim general manager Ed Dodds is now in position to weigh a handful of familiar names as the franchise resets, and that kind of transition usually forces uncomfortable conversations fast.
Among the players who could draw real interest are DeForest Buckner, Quenton Nelson and Grover Stewart, all of whom still carry the sort of reputation that can matter if Indianapolis decides to listen. The bigger question is how far this reshaping goes and whether the Colts are willing to entertain offers on established stars while the rebuild begins to take form. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Reset Puts Jonathan Taylor At Center Of A Huge Decision
Chris Ballards firing has instantly shifted the conversation around how the Colts will map out their next phase, and Jonathan Taylor sits right in the middle of it. The running back signed a two-year extension in August that keeps him under contract for the long haul, a sign the organization was still willing to build with him as a major piece even as the front office changed around him.
Now the question is less about whether Taylor belongs in Indianapolis and more about what kind of team he will be a part of under the next leadership group. Colts owner Jim Irsay has stressed that the expectation remains to compete, but with a new decision-maker coming in, every major roster call will be viewed through that lens. Taylors contract gives the Colts stability, yet it also makes him one of the most important names to watch as the reset unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Rumors Could Trigger A Much Bigger Manning Shakeup
With Peyton Mannings name again circling the Colts front-office opening, the ripple effect may reach well beyond Indianapolis. The latest buzz around the job has reopened the old question of whether Manning could someday move from the broadcast booth into a team executive role, a possibility that has only grown more interesting because of what it could mean for the ManningCast setup on ESPN.
Troy Aikmans contract as a Monday Night Football analyst runs through Super Bowl LXI, and his long-term future at ESPN is still uncertain even as Joe Buck has already locked in a six-year extension. In that scenario, Eli Manning has been floated as a possible successor if Peyton heads toward the Colts, a chain reaction that remains firmly in the realm of speculation for now but underscores how one Colts opening could trigger a much bigger Manning family shakeup. [Read more 🡒]