NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Titans dropped to 1-2 with a Week 3 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. With the Texans also dropping their first game of the season, the Titans remain just a game back of the division lead with a big game on Sunday at 1-2 Indianapolis.
Here's a closer look at how the rest of the AFC South fared.
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Houston Texans (2-1)
The Texans are no longer unbeaten after a 30-17 loss in the Meadowlands to the New York Giants.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Giants scored 17 unanswered points and never relinquished the lead. Eli Manning threw for 234 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions for a rating of 123.2.
Victor Cruz had his best game of the season with 107 receiving yards on five catches and one touchdown. Rashad Jennings torched the Texans on the ground with 176 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Ryan Fitzpatrick had a stat line Titans fans became accustomed to seeing last year, throwing for 289 yards and a touchdown but also three interceptions. The Texans were also missing starting tailback Arian Foster. Rookie running back Alfred Blue filled in with 78 yards on 13 carries.
Brian Cushing led Houston's defense with 17 combined tackles and J.J. Watt recorded his second sack of the season.
Week 2 Star: DeAndre Hopkins – WR
Hopkins caught six passes for 116 yards, including a ridiculous one-handed catch that was called back due to a penalty. The second year receiver now has 227 yards and two touchdowns on the season.
Week 3 Matchup: vs. Buffalo Bills (2-1) – 12:00 p.m. CT
Houston returns home against the Bills as both teams look to rebound after week 3 losses.
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Indianapolis Colts (1-2)
The Colts got their first win of the season in emphatic fashion with a 44-17 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars. They outgained the Jags 529 to 344 and racked up 27 first downs.
Andrew Luck had a monstrous day with 370 passing yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions for a sterling 140.4 rating. Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent Richardson both ran well for 65 yards and 57 yards respectively.
T.Y. Hilton led the Colts with 80 receiving yards in the first half alone, but an ankle injury ended his day early.
Hakeem Nicks, Coby Fleener, Dwayne Allen and Ahmad Bradshaw all caught touchdowns on Sunday.
*Week 2 Star: Andrew Luck – QB *
Luck's numbers on Sunday have him leading the AFC in passing yards with 978 and leading the NFL in touchdowns with nine.
Week 3 Matchup: vs. Tennessee Titans (1-2) – 12:00 p.m. CT
The Colts get back-to-back AFC South matchups as they welcome the Titans to Lucas Oil Stadium. The Titans had second half leads in both meetings between the teams last year and will attempt to finish the job in Week 4.
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Jacksonville Jaguars: (0-3)
As mentioned above, the Jaguars had a rough go in week three against the Colts. The big news for Jacksonville was the debut of first-round pick Blake Bortles. The rookie QB played the second half and threw for 223 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Bortles also had two rushes for 30 yards, including a long of 20.
There was plenty of talk that the Jaguars were going to sit Bortles all season, but like I mentioned in our AFC South season preview, it's easier said than done when the losses add up. A 30-0 halftime deficit was enough for Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley to pull the plug on Chad Henne, who finished with just four completions for 33 yards on the day.
Bortles' first score came on a 63-yard bomb to Allen Hurns. The second touchdown came at the end of the fourth quarter on a fake spike that resulted in a 10-yard strike to Cecil Shorts.
Week 3 Star: Allen Robinson - WR
Robinson led Jacksonville with seven catches for 79 yards against the Colts.
The Jaguars spent a second-round pick this year on the Penn State product and he's seen an increased snap count each week. With Bortles starting for the Jags from here on out, Robinson could see continued production.
Week 4 Matchup: at San Diego Chargers (2-1) – 3:05 p.m. CT
Jacksonville will look for its first win in Southern California in an afternoon matchup against the Chargers. San Diego is coming off of consecutive wins against the Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills.
