AFC South news – Syndication Server

AFC South news round-up: Lawrence’s signing bonus, Texans still paying (a lot) for Cunningham

Jags QB Trevor Lawrence’s signing bonus was a hot topic of conversation last week.

It’s that time of the week again when we take a trip around the AFC South to check in on the Tennessee Titans’ division rivals, the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars.

As was the case with the Titans, we learned the training camp start dates of the Texans, Colts and Jaguars.

In Indianapolis: there is a sizeable amount of hype for second-year pass-rusher Kwity Paye. Also, one Colts writer believes Derrick Henry is the best running back the Colts will face in 2022 — and he’s right.

In Jacksonville: there was some controversy surrounding the signing bonus of Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, but that has since been cleared up. Jacksonville is also getting closer to building its new headquarters and practice facility.

In Houston: offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton wants to get more out of the run game in 2022, and the Texans are still paying a pretty penny for linebacker Zach Cunningham, who is now in Nashville.

We cover those stories and more in our latest AFC South news round-up.

Titans vs. Jaguars Week 5 injury report: Wednesday

The first injury report of the week for the Titans and Jaguars.

The Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars have both released their respective injury report for the Wednesday ahead of the Week 5 game at TIAA Bank Field on Sunday.

The biggest names we’re keeping an eye on for the Titans this week are wide receivers A.J. Brown and Julio Jones, as well as outside linebacker Bud Dupree and punter Brett Kern, all of whom were absent in Week 4.

Also, the Titans have designated running back Darrynton Evans to return from Injured Reserve, opening his 21-day window to re-join the team at practice and be activated from the list.

While Brown, Dupree, Evans and cornerback Caleb Farley all returned to practice, Jones and Kern did not, and a slew of other Titans players were absent, also.

Now, let’s take a look at the full injury report for both teams and see which players were officially listed as not practicing, limited or full on Wednesday.

10 AFC South stories from last week for Titans fans to know

Check out the headlines from our latest trip about the AFC South.

As we continue our march towards the regular season, which will begin on Sept. 12 for the Tennessee Titans, we’re taking our latest trip around the AFC South to see what the team’s rivals, the Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans, are up to.

Three AFC South teams were in action for their preseason debut last week. Tennessee took the field first on Friday, and Houston and Jacksonville on Saturday. Meanwhile, Indianapolis will take the field for the first time on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.

Like the Titans, the Texans emerged victorious in their Preseason Week 1 contest against the Green Bay Packers, 26-7, while the Jaguars fell to the Cleveland Browns, 23-13.

In this week’s look around the division, we cover the Texans’ attempt to stifle their media, the Jags playing coy about their quarterback situation, and an injury update on a few key players for the Colts.

Check out those headlines and more below.

Former Titans WR Taywan Taylor resurfaces with Texans

Taylor was an afterthought during his two seasons with the Browns.

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Former Tennessee Titans wide receiver and 2017 third-round pick, Taywan Taylor, has resurfaced in the AFC South after signing with the Houston Texans, according to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson.

Taylor spent the past two seasons with the Cleveland Browns after being dealt there in 2019 from the Titans in exchange for a 2020 seventh-round pick that ended up being quarterback Cole McDonald. who is no longer in Tennessee.

However, things didn’t go too well for Taylor in Cleveland. He appeared in just six games and saw only two targets, failing to record a single catch. Taylor saw just 51 snaps during his Browns tenure.

The Western Kentucky product’s best season came in 2018 with the Titans when he finished with career-highs in catches (37) and yards (466).

Even though it’s the Texans and one would assume Taylor has a great shot to make their lackluster roster, Houston does have a crowded wide receivers room, so Taylor will still be facing an uphill climb to make the cut.

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NFL moves Titans-Texans and Colts-Jaguars to later time slot

We have new start times for Titans-Texans and Colts-Jags in Week 17.

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The Week 17 contests featuring the Tennessee Titans versus Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts versus Jacksonville Jaguars have both been moved to the later time slot.

The Titans’ Week 16 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night triggered the change and now both Titans-Texans and Colts-Jags will take place at 3:25 p.m. CT as opposed to the original noon CT start time, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

There is a ton riding on both of these matchups.

If the Titans can defeat the Texans at NRG Stadium in Houston on Sunday, Tennessee would not only clinch a playoff berth but also the AFC South crown, its first since 2008.

However, a Titans loss would open the door for the Colts to grab the division title if they can beat the Jaguars. And, in that scenario, Tennessee would need help just to make the postseason.

Indianapolis is just hoping to make the playoffs at this point, as head coach Frank Reich’s team is on the outside looking and is sitting in the No. 8 spot going into the final week after collapsing against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

We’ll see how things shake out when both the Titans and Colts take the field against AFC South foes on Sunday afternoon.

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AFC South standings: Titans hold on to 1st place despite Week 13 loss

A tiebreaker is the only thing keeping the Titans in first place.

The Tennessee Titans had a major letdown game in Week 13, losing to the Cleveland Browns, 41-35, at Nissan Stadium on Sunday.

And when we say letdown game, it’s not really a knock on the Browns, but rather an indictment on the Titans’ failure to show up in a big spot, especially in the first half where Tennessee was out-scored 38-7.

The Titans did finally wake up in the second half, out-scoring the Browns 28-3, but by then it was too little, too late, as the first-half hole and some second-half mistakes were simply too much to overcome.

Despite the loss, the Titans remain in first place in the AFC South over the Indianapolis Colts, but by divisional record tiebreaker only — and, as we’ll explain shortly, Tennessee should be sending Jacksonville a fruit basket as a result.

Let’s see exactly where things stand in the division and what is ahead for the Titans, Colts, Houston Texans and Jaguars going into Week 14.

AFC South standings: Titans back in 1st place after pummeling Colts

The Titans also own the advantage in the tiebreaker over the Colts.

The Tennessee Titans (8-3) have regained the top spot in the AFC South after toppling the Indianapolis Colts (7-4), 45-26, at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.

And with that victory, the tiebreaker for the division is no longer head-to-head record, but rather divisional record, where the Titans currently own an advantage with a 3-1 mark, as opposed to the Colts’ 1-2 mark.

Elsewhere in the division, the Houston Texans (4-7) crushed the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, 41-25, while the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-10) lost their 10th straight game at the hands of the Cleveland Browns (8-3), 27-25.

Let’s take a look at how things shake out in the AFC South right now, while also seeing what’s ahead for the Titans, Colts, Jaguars and Texans.

Titans open as favorites over Texans for Week 6

This will be the first of two meetings between the Titans and Texans in 2020.

The Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans enter their Week 6 matchup riding high after each secured a win in Week 5, and as we expected the Titans are favored over the Texans — but by how much?

According to BetMGM, the unbeaten Titans begin the week as 3.5-point favorites over the Texans ahead of a contest that will take place at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.

Spread: Titans (-3.5)

Money Line: Titans (-200)/Texans (+165)

Over/Under: 51.5

The Titans are coming off their most impressive win of the 2020 campaign after delivering a beatdown to the Buffalo Bills, 42-16, even without four starters in the lineup and almost no practice.

Tennessee stands a great chance to be at close to full strength for this contest. No. 1 corner Adoree’ Jackson might be out again, but the Titans have just five players remaining on their Reserve/COVID-19 list, and all could be activated by Sunday.

While the Texans finally got into the win column in Week 5, it was against a Jacksonville Jaguars squad that is quickly reverting to the form we expected. Still, the Texans’ offense looked more in sync than it has all season, and the defense showed signs of life.

The biggest change in Houston is at head coach, where Romeo Crennel has taken over for Bill O’Brien on an interim basis after he was fired. It’s clear the Texans like playing for Crennel, which is more than we could say for O’Brien.

There’s no question that Tennessee has been the better team through five weeks and should win this game, but divisional matchups are always tricky and sometimes don’t go the way you’d expect them to.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Titans’ rivals news: Jags rookie impresses Chad Johnson, Texans’ RB versatility

What are some of the latest headlines coming from the Titans’ rivals?

Throughout the course of the offseason, it’s important to keep an eye on what the Tennessee Titans’ rivals in the AFC South are doing, so we’re going to be regularly checking in on important headlines from their divisional foes.

Here’s a few stories of note from the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts.

Jaguars Wire: C.J. Henderson impresses Chad Johnson

Jaguars first-round pick, cornerback C.J. Henderson, has made quite the impression on former NFL wide receiver, Chad Johnson, after the two worked out together recently.

Johnson had this so say on Twitter about the No. 9 overall pick.

May God be with the Jaguar receivers that have to deal with @HendersonChris_, that mother [expletive] is nice in bump-n-run, even with the small sample size of work today i now understand why he was taken at 9🔒

The Titans will get their first look at the Jags’ new corner in Week 2 in Nashville.

Texans Wire: Houston OC talks versatility with RBs

Texans offensive coordinator, Tim Kelly, who is the brother of Titans right tackle Dennis Kelly, gave some insight into how Duke Johnson and the newest Texan, David Johnson, open up the play-calling for the team’s offense.

“I think it opens up the play calling, obviously,” Kelly told reporters on May 20. “You’re not limited by a guy’s ability to only run the ball or only catch the ball. When you have guys that are versatile and are both a vital running threat and a good receiving threat, it allows you to open up and be creative and find different ways to get guys the ball in space and do some good things.”

Of course, Johnson was acquired in the trade that sent DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals, which is a trade the Titans were definitely thrilled to see, as Hopkins owned Tennessee during his Texans tenure.

Colts Wire: Titans with third-best offense Indy will face in 2020

Kevin Hickey of Colts Wire believes the Titans own the third-best offense Indy will face during the 2020 season, and he names Derrick Henry the team’s best offensive skill player.

This places the Titans behind the Baltimore Ravens (No. 1) and the Green Bay Packers (No. 2) on the Colts’ schedule. It’s hard to argue with that ranking. The Texans come in at No. 7, while the Jags land in dead-last.

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