NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After brief early season struggles, the Indianapolis Colts have won three straight and are now knotted with the Houston Texans atop the AFC South at 3-2. The Titans' fourth consecutive loss has them two games back at 1-4 with the Jaguars still winless at 0-5.
Here's a detailed look at what happened in week five throughout the division.
Indianapolis Colts (3-2)
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The Colts won their third game in a row, holding off the Baltimore Ravens 20-13 in Indianapolis. Baltimore trailed 20-6 when Justin Forsett's 11-yard touchdown run cut the Colts lead to seven with 7:10 left in the fourth quarter.
Joe Flacco and the Raven's offense got the ball back with 1:49 remaining after an Ahmad Bradshaw fumble in the red zone. The Colts surrendered one first down before the following fourth down pass slipped through Torrey Smith's hands deep down the right sideline to seal the win.
Andrew Luck added one more touchdown to his league-leading total (14) while throwing for 312 yards, two interceptions, and recording his second rushing touchdown of the season. Luck also leads all NFL quarterbacks with 1,617 passing yards.
T.Y. Hilton and Reggie Wayne both had productive days, catching 16 passes for 167 yards combined. Tight end Dwayne Allen had the Colts lone receiving touchdown to go with his 59 yards receiving. Allen has now scored in three consecutive contests and four out of the Colts' five games in 2014.
Colts running backs Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent Richardson had a modest 68 and 37 yards respectively with no touchdowns.
Star of the Game: Bjoern Werner – OLB
Werner had a monster game against the Ravens offense, recording six total tackles, two sacks, and one pass defensed. The Colts defense had four total sacks on Sunday.
Week 6 Matchup: at Houston Texans (3-2) – Thursday Night Football – 7:25 p.m. CT
A short-week and primetime divisional matchup for the AFC South lead Thursday night in Houston.
Houston Texans (3-2)
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The Texans lost in overtime 20-17 against their in-state rival Dallas Cowboys. Houston overcame a 10- point fourth quarter deficit, scoring all 10 points in the final 2:27 of the game. Arian Foster's second touchdown run of the game with 47 seconds remaining knotted the score at 17 a piece heading into overtime.
Houston got the ball first in overtime but its drive stalled at the Dallas 48-yard line. On Dallas' ensuing possession, a 37-yard circus catch by Dez Bryant put the Cowboys in field goal range. Dan Bailey connected on his 49-yard attempt to give the Cowboys their fourth consecutive win. Bailey is now 10-of-11 on field goal attempts this season and perfect inside 50 yards.
Demarco Murray logged his fifth consecutive 100-plus yard rushing game with 136 yards and added 56 receiving yards. Murray's 130 rushing attempts, 670 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns are all tops in the NFL.
Ryan Fitzpatrick struggled mightily for the Texans, completing 16-of-25 passes for just 154 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.
Star of the Game: Arian Foster – RB
Foster showed no signs of his nagging hamstring injury, running all over the Cowboys for 157 yards on 23 attempts, including two touchdowns and a long of 33.
Week 6 Matchup: vs. Indianapolis Colts (3-2) – Thursday Night Football – 7:25 p.m. CT
Andrew Luck vs. J.J. Watt – a primetime matchup in this primetime game.
Jacksonville Jaguars (0-5)
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The Jaguars remain one of two winless teams in the league (Oakland Raiders) after losing to the Steelers 17-9. Despite not finding the end zone, Jacksonville continued to show signs of improvement after holding Pittsburgh to just one offensive touchdown.
Blake Bortles struggled in his second NFL start, throwing two interceptions, including a pick six in the fourth quarter when the Jaguars trailed 10-9. Bortles completed just 22-of-36 passes for 191 yards and no touchdowns.
Jacksonville's defense was a bright spot, containing Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell and the Steelers offense. The Jags sacked Big Ben four times and recovered a fumble. Bell led the Steelers with 82 rushing yards while Antonio Brown was held to a season low 84 receiving yards yards. Brown caught just five of his 12 targets.
The Jaguars continue to struggle in the running game with no running back getting more than four carries or topping 30 yards rushing. Storm Johnson led Jacksonville with 27 yards on four carries.
Star of the Game – Paul Posluszny – LB
The leader of the Jacksonville defense recorded 12 total tackles, one sack, and one pass defensed.
Week 6 Matchup – at Tennessee Titans – 12:00 p.m. CT
Jacksonville comes to LP Field this Sunday in search of its first win of the season. The Titans will look to keep Bortles winless in his first six games.
