NASHVILLE, Tenn. – While the Titans were on their Week 9 hiatus, the rest of the AFC South was in action.
Here's a detailed look at how the Colts, Texans and Jaguars fared this week.
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Indianapolis Colts (6-3)
The Colts emphatically atoned for their Week 8 loss to the Steelers with a dominating 40-24 road victory over the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.
There isn't a lot to cover here. Andrew Luck made it look easy once again – throwing for 354 yards and four touchdowns without turning the ball over. Luck's 25 completions went to nine different receivers with no Colts pass catcher having more than four receptions.
Tight end Coby Fleener led Indianapolis with four catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. T.Y. Hilton, Reggie Wayne and Dwayne Allen caught Luck's other three touchdowns.
Eli Manning finished with 359 passing yards and two touchdowns, but those numbers are largely empty as most of them came with the game well out of reach. Adam Vinatieri's fourth field goal put the Colts up 40-10 at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Star of the Game: Andrew Luck – QB
Luck leads the NFL with 26 passing touchdowns and 3,085 passing yards. He has also thrown for 300-plus yards in seven straight games and eight of the Colts' nine contests this season. Ho hum.
Week 10 Matchup: Bye
The Colts will get some time off before returning home to host Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in two weeks.
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Houston Texans (4-5)
After a convincing win against the Titans, Houston struggled to replicate the performance this past Sunday in a 31-21 loss at home to the Eagles.
Houston pulled within 24-21, but couldn't get a crucial stop late in the fourth quarter with Jeremy Maclin scoring his second touchdown of the day to put the game on ice.
Houston's defense recorded four sacks on the day, one of which caused Eagles starting quarterback Nick Foles to leave the game at the end of the first quarter with a shoulder injury. Backup Mark Sanchez stepped in admirably, throwing for 202 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in the final three quarters.
Maclin ran circles around Houston's secondary, blowing up for 158 receiving yards on six catches and two touchdowns. LeSean McCoy crossed the century milestone with 117 rushing yards on 23 carries.
Ryan Fitzpatrick completed only 13 passes for 203 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. DeAndre Hopkins continued to lead Texans receivers with six catches for 115 yards and one touchdown. Arian Foster posted 119 total yards and one receiving touchdown on a 56-yard catch and run before leaving the game in the third quarter with a groin injury.
Star of the Game: J.J. Watt – Texans
Despite the losing effort, Watt accounted for five quarterback hits on his own, resulting in 1.5 sacks and seven total tackles. Ho hum.
Week 10 Matchup: Bye
"I just need to go to like an island or something," said wide receiver Andre Johnson following the loss to the Eagles. Sounds like this bye week is coming at the right time for the Texans.
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Jacksonville Jaguars (1-8)
Cincinnati got all it could handle from Jacksonville on Sunday. The Jaguars pulled within 26-23 late in the fourth quarter, but a late Bengals touchdown sealed Cincinnati's 33-23 victory.
The Bengals got one star back in A.J. Green, while running back Giovanni Bernard missed the contest with a hip injury. Green caught only three passes but they went for 44 yards and a touchdown. Rookie running back Jeremy Hill had a monster day in his first career start in place of Bernard. Hill ran rampant for 154 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns, including a 60-yard scamper in the game's final minutes.
Blake Bortles threw for 247 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Allen Hurns re-emerged for Jacksonville with seven catches for 112 yards and two touchdowns. The scores were Hurns' first since Week 3, giving him five touchdowns on the season.
Andy Dalton posted modest numbers, only 233 yards and two touchdowns, with the Jaguars intercepting the Bengals quarterback twice.
Star of the Game: Denard Robinson – RB
This is Robinson's third consecutive game with this distinction as the Jaguars running back nearly recorded his third straight 100-yard performance. Robinson finished with 94 yards on 17 carries (5.5-yard avg.) and one touchdown, while adding two catches for 10 yards. The second-year pro is averaging 109.667 yards per game over his last three contests.
Week 10 Matchup: vs. Dallas Cowboys – 12:00 p.m. PT
The Jaguars return home to host the Cowboys, who will spend the week figuring out who will be under center. Tony Romo (back) missed the Cowboys' Week 9 game against the Cardinals, but might have a better outlook for Week 10 in Jacksonville.
