The Green Bay Packers demolished the Tennessee Titans 55-7 at Lambeau Field to improve to 7-1 at home and an 11-4 overall record.

Green Bay played ferocious defense the entire day, giving up 180 total yards and compiling seven total sacks. Titans quarterback Jake Locker completed 13 of 30 passes for 140 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Locker threw back-to-back interceptions on the Titans final two drives of the first quarter.

Linebacker Erik Walden and cornerback Sam Shields both recorded their second interceptions of the season. The Packers contained Titans running back Chris Johnson to 11 carries for 28 yards. Johnson exited the game in the first half with an ankle injury but was able to return.

The Packers were led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers completed 27 of 38 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns. This was Rodgers seventh game throwing at least three touchdowns in a game. Rodgers started the scoring frenzy in the first quarter with a six yard run.

Rodgers connected with wideouts Randall Cobb, Greg Jennings and James Jones. Jones led all wide receivers with seven receptions 100 yards along with his touchdown. Jones’ touchdown was his 13th of the year an NFL best for wide receivers.

Cobb caught three passes for 62 yards along with his eighth touchdown of the season. He also broke a Green Bay record for most all-purpose yards, previously held by Ahman Green. Unfortunately, Cobb injured his ankle in the third quarter on a punt return.

Rodgers and the Packers were on cruise control and he was able to take a seat for a majority of the fourth quarter.

The Packers were led on the ground by Ryan Grant. Grant had 20 carries for 80 yards for a touchdown. Also DuJuan Harris carried the ball eight times for 29 yards and one touchdown.

With the victory, the Packers are still in contention for the No.2 seed. The Packers have won 20 of their last 21 home games. They will end the season at Mall of America Field against NFC North rivals the Minnesota Vikings. The Titans season finale will be at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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After placing second year quarterback Blaine Gabbert on injured reserve earlier in the week, the 1-9 Jacksonville Jaguars finally experienced a change in fortune.

Backup Chad Henne hadn’t started a game in more than a calendar year, but in the end he gave the team and its fans a reason to smile on Sunday, as he led the Jags and their 29th ranked scoring offense to their first home win of the season, a 24-19 victory over the Tennessee Titans (4-7).

“Hopefully this builds confidence for everybody throughout these next five games, builds new life,” said Henne, who threw for 261 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Henne provided a spark off the bench last week in Houston when he replaced the injured Gabbert and finished against with 354 passing yards and four touchdowns against an elite Texans defense. The Jaguars went on to lose a tough one in overtime, 43-37, but Henne helped them put up a valiant effort against a team that was 8-1 at the time and has established itself as one of the league’s powerhouses.

After Jake Locker’s six yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kenny Britt cut Jacksonville’s lead to 21-19 with 4:52 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars quickly went three and out and punted the ball right back to the Titans. Jaguars safety Dwight Lowery came up huge on the second play of the possession, intercepting Locker on a tipped ball at the Jacksonville 43 yard line with just under three minutes left to go.

For Lowery, who was sidelined the previous five games, it was his first pick of the season.

“It was nice to get a timely play that put us in position to win,” said linebacker Russell Allen, who assisted Lowery on the interception with the deflection. “It’s something we pride ourselves on: If we’re a position to win with our defense on the field, that’s right where we want to be. Today we were able to put it away.”

Locker had 261 yards through the air, two interceptions and one touchdown.

Five rushes by running back Rashad Jennings allowed kicker Josh Scobee to knock through a 41 yard field goal with only 24 seconds left, extending the Jags lead to 24-19 and virtually ending the game.

The defense forced another takeaway when cornerback Mike Harris then intercepted Locker at the Jaguars 42 to seal the team’s first home win since 2011.

Jacksonville never trailed after falling behind 3-0 on the game’s opening possession. Jennings’ one yard touchdown run late in the first put the Jaguars ahead 7-3. Cecil Shorts’ 59 yard touchdown reception added to the advantage at 14-6 at the 8:40 mark of the third quarter. Justin Blackmon’s seven yard touchdown catch kept it a two possession game, 21-12, a little more than halfway through the fourth.

“It’s good to have something good happen, really good,” said Jaguars head coach Mike Mularkey. “They needed that. A lot of people needed that. It was well earned.”

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Jake Locker returned to the lineup, his defense forced four turnovers and the Tennessee Titans (4-6) picked up a road win in a 37-3 pummeling of the Miami Dolphins (4-5).

“Our defense put us in some good situations all day,” said Locker. “It wasn’t pretty at times, but we found ways to move the chains.”

A dislocation to his non-throwing shoulder had sidelined Locker for the previous five games. In his first game back, the second year quarterback threw for just 122 yards on nine completions. Two of the nine completions, however, were touchdowns.

Chris Johnson’s 17 yard touchdown run late in the first quarter put Tennessee ahead 14-0 following a nine yard touchdown catch made by rookie receiver Kendall Wright. That drive needed only four plays to reach the end zone following a fumble by Reggie Bush that Tennessee recovered at the Miami 28 yard line.

Johnson ran all over the Dolphins defense with 126 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.

Tennessee extended its lead to a three touchdown margin when linebacker Colin McCarthy intercepted Ryan Tannehill and returned it 49 yards to paydirt. Only three plays earlier, McCarthy was forced to leave the game due to a re-aggravation of an ankle injury he was battling.

“I just needed to settle down a little bit,” said McCarthy. “I got turned a little bit. I just had to take a couple plays off, but I got back in there.”

McCarthy’s pick was the first thrown by Tannehill in six weeks. He went on to throw two more, which resulted in field goals.

Tannehill completed more than twice as many passes as Locker, 23-9, and threw for nearly 100 yards more, 217-122, but it was Locker’s ability to preserve possessions by not turning the ball over that made all the difference in the final score.

Jared Cook’s 26 yard touchdown reception capped off an 85 yard drive to open the second half and gave the Titans a 31-3 advantage.

Dolphins coach Joe Philbin’s impatience grew thin, and he benched Bush and offensive lineman Richie Incognito for stretches following a fumble and a personal foul penalty, respectively.

“It was embarrassing, to say the least,” Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake said of his team’s performance. “There’s no explanation, no excuse.”

Tennesse now enters its bye week, while the Dolphins will look to rebound up in Buffalo on a short week, as they face one of their AFC East rivals on Thursday night.

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With 195 rushing yards and two touchdowns, Chris Johnson carried the Tennessee Titans (3-4) on his back all day long.

But it was Matthew Hasselbeck’s heroic, lone touchdown pass– a 15 yarder to Nate Washington on 4^th and 9– while approaching the game’s final minute, which put Tennessee in a position to escape Buffalo with a 35-34 victory over the Bills (3-4) on Sunday.

“It’s a great feeling,” Hasselbeck said. “To pull through once again in a close game for our third win in a game that came down basically to the last play was a great feeling.”

The veteran Hasselbeck has led the Titans to two consecutive dramatic victories since replacing Jake Locker, who has been out with a dislocated non-throwing shoulder since Week 4 at Houston.

Each of the first three quarters saw at least three combined scores between the teams.

That theme made its way out the door in the fourth, however. There would be only a single occasion where either side made it on the board, and those points were just enough for Tennessee to squeak by yet again. Their three victories over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills have totaled a mere seven points.

“All of us, we really feel like a team,” said Hasselbeck. “It’s kind of an all hands on deck, whatever it takes to win is what we’re going to do.”

Buffalo trailed most of the game, but one wouldn’t get that sense after hearing the rather interesting comments of frustration made by Bills linebacker Nick Barnett.

“I’m really disappointed,” said Barnett. “They shouldn’t even be in the game with us. I mean I hate to sit here and say this because we lost, but they shouldn’t have been in this game. We should’ve beat them— bad.”

The Bills will be entering their bye week, while the Titans will host the 3-3 Indianapolis Colts.

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If you were told before this season’s opening kickoff that only one AFC division would sport at least a .500 total record amongst its four teams going into the Sunday afternoon of Week 6, wouldn’t you assume in an almost reflexive manner that it would most certainly have to be either the AFC North or AFC East?

No one would blame you for thinking that. Unfortunately, however, you’d be sadly mistaken.

The AFC North, boasting mainstays such as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, actually have just a 9-11 combined mark at this point in the season. The AFC East, with the defending conference champion New England Patriots and three other tough-nosed teams right behind them in the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, also have a total of nine wins and eleven losses on the year.

Then there is the AFC West, which, at 7-12, finds itself underachieving yet again, meaning that the only AFC division that currently is not under the .500 plateau – and also has the best record in the conference – is the AFC South at 10-10.

A late win by the Tennessee Titans over the Steelers on Thursday night is the only reason that the AFC South sits in this current position, as opposed to the AFC North, but they’ll take the recognition nonetheless.

If you’re going to talk AFC South and success, the Houston Texans have to be mentioned immediately. Better yet, the Texans should always be mentioned when discussing successful teams in general. After all, they are only one of two teams – the Atlanta Falcons being the other – who is still undefeated at 5-0.

Responsible for half of their division’s overall wins, the Texans are not surprised at all by what they’ve accomplished thus far. They did receive a scare from the New York Jets last Monday night when they were able to hold them off late for a 23-17 victory, but that and the 31-25 Week 3 win in Denver against Peyton Manning and the Broncos have been the only two matchups to have caused the Texans to break a true sweat.

With Arian Foster maintaining his status as one of the top running backs in the league, a defensive unit that ranks fourth overall with only 73 total points surrendered and the third-best scoring offense at 29.8 points per game, the Texans’ Super Bowl aspirations are, and will continue to be, more than realistic.

Then there are the Indianapolis Colts, who, conversely to the Texans, actually have surprised many, including their own fans, with a 2-2 record going into Week 6. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Indianapolis with changes at general manager, head coach, and quarterback in Ryan Grigson, Chuck Pagano and rookie Andrew Luck, respectively.

Pagano will not coach for the rest of the season after being diagnosed with a form of adult leukemia during the team’s Week 4 bye, but expect the Colts every week to fight as hard as they can just for him. That never-say-die attitude manifested itself into the ultimate storybook come-from-behind win last Sunday over the Green Bay Packers, which owner Jim Irsay guaranteed after initially announcing Pagano’s illness to the media.

Luck has shown fantastic poise late in games, and the Colts could actually be sitting pretty at 3-1 had it not been for an 80 yard game-winning touchdown pass by Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert towards the end of the teams’ Week 3 showdown. If Indianapolis continues to play the way that they have demonstrated they’re capable of, they could definitely find themselves competing for one of the conference’s two Wild Card slots.

Finally, there are the Titans and Jaguars, who are struggling just as much as they were expected to. Despite pulling off a very inspirational victory over the Steelers this past Thursday, the Titans find themselves at just 2-4 and in next-to-last place in the AFC South. Second year quarterback Jake Locker is set to return next week after injuring his shoulder in a Week 4 loss to the Texans and sitting out the last game. Locker has only thrown for less than 800 yards in four starts this season.

The Jaguars (1-4) aren’t giving the people of Jacksonville any reason to pray that their team won’t pick up and leave for Los Angeles within the next few years, as has been rumored. Jacksonville ranks dead last in scoring and 24^th in points allowed. There have been those occurrences where Gabbert shows flashes of brilliance, but more often than not he looks overmatches out there.

Neither the Jaguars nor the Titans should be .500 teams at season’s conclusion, but make sure to keep a close eye on what the Texans and Colts are up to. Those two make the AFC South worth watching.

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The Minnesota Vikings extended their win streak to three games after an easy 30-7 victory against AFC South opponent Tennessee Titans.

Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder led the Vikings offense, completing 25-of-35 passes for 258 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Ponder was also effective running for 31 yards on three carries.

Percy Harvin led all receivers with eight receptions for 108 yards and a 10-yard receiving touchdown in the third quarter. Tight-end Kyle Rudolph caught his 4th touchdown of the season in the 4th quarter. Rudolph has already surpassed last years total touchdowns just five games into the 2012 season.

Running back Adrian Peterson had another efficient game on the ground rushing for 88 yards on 17 carries. Peterson also caught three passes for 15 yards. Peterson has rushed for over 80 yards in four of his five starts this season. Harvin was also featured in the run game, scoring his first rushing touchdown of the season in the 1st quarter.

The Tennessee Titans were led by veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck started in place of injured quarterback Jake Locker, who suffered a separated shoulder in week 4. Hasselbeck completed 26-of-43 passes for 200 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Wideout Kendall Wright led the Titans in receiving with nine receptions for 66 yards. Tight-end Jared Cook also caught five passes for 37 yards and his 2nd touchdown of the season. Cook is one touchdown shy from matching last years total.

Tennessee’s run game continues to struggle, and Chris Johnson has been extremely inconsistent. Johnson ran the ball 15 times for 24 yards and caught one reception for five yards. Johnson had a surprising 100+ breakout game last week against the Houston Texans. In Johnson’s other four start he has rushed for a combined 69 yards.

Titans’ third string quarterback Rusty Smith entered the game for Tennessee’s final possession, completing 3-of-5 passes for 34 yards.

The Vikings are undefeated at home this season and their 4-1 start is a team best since 2009. Furthermore the Vikings have exceeded last seasons win total five weeks into the NFL season. Minnesota is definitely the biggest surprise in the NFC North Division, and remains atop the division.

Minnesota will head to FedEx Field next Sunday to take on the Washington Redskins. The Titans will be short on rest and be back in action Thursday night for another tough match-up against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

For additional player or game statistics click here. 

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Danieal Manning and Kareem Jackson each returned an interception for a touchdown, Matt Schaub threw for two touchdowns and 208 yards, Arian Foster found the end zone once and by the end of the day the Houston Texans (4-0) were able to finally claim that they made it out of the month of September undefeated for the first time in their history.

It took four games into the franchise’s 11^th NFL season, but a convincing 38-14 victory over the Tennessee Titans (1-3) on Sunday in Texas brought Houston to what had previously been uncharted territory – the land of 4-0.

“Feels like we are little kids in the backyard, having fun,” said Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, who recorded two sacks and a fumble recovery. “We literally do not care who gets the credit.”

Titans quarterback Jake Locker exited the game for good after injuring his left shoulder during Tennessee’s second offensive series following a blitzing hit from Texans safety Glover Quin. The second year quarterback had the same shoulder banged up in the season opener against the New England Patriots.

“I didn’t see [Quin],” Locker said. “I would have done something if I had seen it.”

Veteran quarterback Matthew Hasselbeck, who was demoted to the backup role this season, filled in for Locker for the remainder of the game. He had just 193 passing yards to go along with two interceptions and a lost fumble.

“It’s frustrating because I feel like we’re not that far away,” Hasselbeck said. “But we didn’t play great and we had turnovers and I was a part of three of them. It’s just frustrating because I know we’re capable of a lot more.”

An 11 yard touchdown pass to fullback James Casey capped off a seven play, three minute and nineteen second drive on the game’s opening series. With about less than a minute remaining in the first quarter, Foster punched in a run from four yards out to extend the Houston lead to 14-0.

Tennessee tight end Craig Stevens’ 19 yard touchdown reception with 7:52 left in the first half cut the deficit in half at 14-7. The score would not change going into halftime.

The game turned with less than 10 minutes on the clock in the third quarter when Texans veteran cornerback Danieal Manning intercepted a deep pass by Hasselbeck and returned it 55 yards for the score.

Schaub threw his second and final touchdown pass to tight end Owen Daniels late in the third, and the Texans were running away with it, up 28-7.

Houston’s defense imposed its will. They would only give up another seven points the rest of the game, which came on an 11 yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Kendall Wright during the final minutes of the fourth quarter, once the game was well in hand.

It wasn’t a perfect day for Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, however. His crew had a great deal of difficulty trying to contain Titans running back Chris Johnson. Johnson posted 141 yards on 25 carries.

“It was a pretty good game,” Johnson said. “We ran the ball. I felt like my offensive line went out there and did a great job from the first snap, just getting up on guys, pushing those guys back, and just giving me somewhere to run.”

Ten fourth quarter points for the Texans, seven of which came as a result of an interception taken all the way back 63 yards by cornerback Kareem Jackson, was plenty enough to seal the comfortable victory.

But despite not having tasted defeat a quarter of the way through the season, Schaub refused to make too much of the feat.

“There is a lot of things we can correct from this game,” said Schaub, “but we are fortunate to be 4-0.”

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Sunday’s showdown between the Detroit Lions (1-2) and Tennessee Titans (1-2) in Nashville ended up turning into a good old fashioned shootout. One which needed an extra 8:25 to decide a winner.

And at the end of the day, it was the Titans who found themselves on top, 44-41, in what was probably the wildest game the day had to offer.

“Both of us looked at each other and said, ‘We’ve never been through something like this in our lives,’” said Titans head coach Mike Munchak of his counterpart Jim Schwartz. “It’s hard to put in words what to say about that. We both could’ve won in so many ways.”

Titans quarterback Jake Locker threw for 378 yards and two touchdowns while completing 29 of 42 passes and leading his team to their first win of the season.

Tennessee, who was previously winless, went into halftime with a 20-9 lead over a Lions team that is anything but a pushover.

After only seven points were scored in the third quarter via a one yard Mikel Leshoure rushing touchdown, the fourth quarter saw scoring come from left and right in every which way, through offense, defense and special teams.

A total of 46 points were scored in the final period of regulation.

Brandon Pettigrew’s fumble at the Tennessee 28 yard line with the Lions trailing 34-27 with about three minutes remaining in the fourth was recovered by Tennessee cornerback Alterraun Verner and run back 72 yards for a touchdown and what undoubtedly appeared at the moment to be the final dagger.

But Lions backup quarterback Shaun Hill had other plans.

Matthew Stafford, the Lions starting quarterback, did not return to the field due to injury following Pettigrew’s fumble. He had an outstanding day nonetheless, going 33/42 through the air for 278 yards and a touchdown.

Hill suddenly found himself thrown into a game trailing two touchdowns with just 1:16 left on the clock. He would put together an 80 yard touchdown drive in just 58 seconds, which ended with a 3 yard scoring toss to Calvin Johnson, who had yet another monster performance with 164 yards on 10 receptions to go with that touchdown grab.

Detroit successfully recovered the ensuing onside kick, and was stationed at the Titans 46 yard line with just 18 seconds remaining.

Hill’s prayer on second down was answered downfield by receiver Titus Young, as he hauled in a touchdown that set up the game-tying extra point as time expired.

Locker remained composed, however, and put Tennessee in position to take a 44-41 lead with 10:36 left in overtime.

Schwartz wanted to end it once the Lions made their way all the way down to the Tennessee seven. It would be a decision that would come back to bite him, as Hill attempted to scramble for the first down on fourth and one, but lost a yard and came up short to seal the victory for the Titans.

The play did undergo a booth review and was upheld, ending the madness.

Trying to somehow put everything into words, Munchak said, “I can honestly say, 30 years being around the NFL, I never saw anything close to what we experienced in this game, the highs and the lows, both sides of the ball.”

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Before agreeing with management on a buyout of the final year of his contract in January of 2011, former Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher had held the longest tenure in the league at his position – 16 years. So when Tennesee entered the 2011 season under first-year head coach Mike Munchak, no one expected them to finish with a winning record of 9-7 in a loaded AFC and just narrowly miss out on making the postseason for the first time since 2008.

The man who played a major role in the Titans’ success last year was the wily old veteran, former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who led his team to a Super Bowl XL appearance against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tennessee signed Hasselbeck to a three year, $21 million deal last July. He went on to start all 16 games in 2011, throwing for solid totals of 3,571 yards and 18 touchdowns.

But the Tennessee organization came to the conclusion this preseason that with Hasselbeck’s 37^th birthday quickly approaching at the end of the month and second-year quarterback Jake Locker waiting in the weeds, this was the perfect time to move toward the future and give Locker the starting job.

Locker impressed the coaching staff by completing 34 of 66 pass attempts for 542 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions in five short appearances last season.

Pro Bowl running back Chris Johnson, who ran for a league high of 2,006 yards just two years prior, got off to a more than disappointing start in 2011 after holding out for all of training camp and the entire preseason. He did, however, manage to finish with 1,047 rushing yards.

The most significant offseason loss from the Titans upcoming roster is former one-time Pro Bowl cornerback Cortland Finnegan, who signed a five year, $50 million contract with the St. Louis Rams this past March. The Titans hope that they will be able to maintain their quality defense without him, as they finished eighth overall in scoring defense last year, giving up an average of 19.8 points per game.

Seven-time Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson was added to the mix after signing a three year deal with the Titans following his release from the Minnesota Vikings in March. Hutchinson over the years has been widely regarded as one of the best linemen in the game.

The Titans’ 2012 first round pick, Kendall Wright, a wide receiver out of Baylor, is expected to be Locker’s main target for years to come. Tennessee selected him with the 20^th overall pick.

With a young quarterback taking the reins for the first time, the Titans will expect growing pains and should be grateful to finish around the .500 mark by season’s end.

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The 2010-2011 NFL season showed fans a slew of teams that found themselves on the cusp of taking the reigns of their respective divisions. The AFC South in particular has seen the Indianapolis Colts dominate Houston, Jacksonville and Tennessee over the past decade en route to perennial top seeded playoff positions. Though they are still considered a serious threat around the league, last year for the first time they showed that they too have flaws and seem to be a bit vulnerable. Father time seems to have caught up with a few of their dominant players, and young talent across the division may be too much to handle for Indianapolis moving forward. Let’s break down the AFC South down team-by-team and see who really has the best chance to dethrone the Super Bowl XLI Champions.

Tennessee Titans: The Titans have probably been the most inconsistent team in the division over the past few years. They were always able to fall back on having one of the most well-renowned coaches in the NFL in years past. Now that the Jeff Fisher era is behind us, we will see what this team really is made of. Also, owner Bud Adams seems to have finally given up on Vince Young and his off-field antics. The hope is that new coach, former Houston Oilers guard, Mike Munchak will be able to form a nice report with first-round draft pick Jake Locker (QB, Washington), and mold him into a leader on the field. They undoubtedly have some other nice pieces in place with electrifying running back Chris Johnson alongside receivers Kenny Britt and Justin Gage running the offense. Their defense has shown promise over the past few seasons, and though Tennessee is in somewhat of a rebuilding time, they might just have enough firepower to make noise in the division.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Though the Jaguars picked after the Titans in the first-round of the draft, they got the quarterback that everyone else seemed to want more than Locker in Blaine Gabbert (QB, Missouri). Jacksonville is taking the safer, and probably smarter route in developing Gabbert over time since they still have David Garrard to man the helm and mentor the rookie for a few years. They always seem to be a tough team to beat at home, and when you possess one of the best runners in the league, defenses are never going to be excited about playing you. Maurice Jones-Drew has racked up over 1,300 yards in each of his past two seasons and shows no signs of slowing down. Look for them to feature MJD even more this season amidst all of the quarterback confusion. The Jags can be expected to round out the bottom of the division this season, but if Jones-Drew has another career year, ninth year head coach Jack Del Rio just might be able to coax them into a successful season.

Houston Texans: This is where we come to the bread and butter of the AFC South. Last season the Texans showed real promise at the beginning of the season knocking off the Colts at home in week one and making everyone wonder whether 2010 was finally their year. It wasn’t. They finished a disappointing 6-10 and showed serious problems on the defensive side of the ball. I remember seeing their offense torch a prolific New York Jets defense last season, only to watch their corner backs fail to cover simple slant routes on consecutive plays to lead the Jets into the end-zone and blow yet another game for Houston. Everybody knows that the Matt Schaub to Andre Johnson connection is one of the best in the business. Unfortunately, they also know that they can routinely throw down field on one of the worst secondaries in the league. Everyone in Houston is hoping that newly hired defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will be able to turn their struggles around and finally snatch the division away from Indianapolis. The Texans are my sleeper this year, and if the Colts aren’t careful, they might find themselves having to compete for a wild-card spot in 2011.

Indianapolis Colts: So what do we know about the Colts? Well, offensive guru Tom Moore is gone, they caught the injury bug in the worst way last season, and Peyton Manning is coming off of two neck surgeries. Nobody is doubting what Manning has done, and probably still will do in the future at quarterback in Indianapolis. In fact, I would have to say that he’s the best I’ve ever seen play the game at that position. The problem is, he’s 35 years old going into this season, and not everyone can last as long as Brett Favre and John Elway. He finally, for the first time, showed signs of the slowing down last season when he was plagued by a string of interceptions midway through the year. Of course, even with all of the injuries, the Colts still went 10-6 to win the division, but failed to show off their prolific offense in the playoffs and were bounced quickly. I’m not doubting what this team can do with a future hall-of-fame quarterback leading them, but I will say that if they don’t make some changes and improvements from last season, their time in the spotlight of the AFC South may be coming to and end sooner than some people may think.

The AFC South is definitely no longer a one horse race as it has been for majority of the past decade. There are some real star-players all the way across the division, and seemingly more to come out of the first-round draft picks selected in this years draft. There will be battles throughout the year between all four of these teams, and don’t be surprised if we see two AFC South representatives in the playoffs next season…if there is a season of course.

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The perennial position on any NFL team is the man under center, the quarterback of course. With the draft approaching and a lack of elite quarterback prospects, teams will have to decide whether they should go for broke, drafting a quarterback high, or play it safe and take a position where busts are less likely. Virtually every team in the top five has a need at quarterback but exactly what type of talents are they looking at and how urgent are their needs?

The Teams

The Panthers at No. 1 took a chance on Jimmy Clausen last season but it looks as if they have lost interest in the young quarterback. The problem though is that this is one of the weaker quarterback classes when it comes to star power. Giving Clausen another season to develop may be the best option for the Panthers who could draft a beast like Auburn Defensive Lineman Nick Fairley instead. If the Panthers do decide to draft a quarterback though to try to make a splash and please the fans the decision of who may, not be an easy one to make. In years past the No. 1 pick overall was already known well before the draft began, but not this year.

The Broncos at No. 2 might be glancing at the quarterback position out of the corner of their eye, but John Elway realizes no one in this draft will replicate him and the Broncos could stay pat with Kyle Orton and their investment in Tim Tebow. It wouldn’t be shocking though to see a quarterback taken especially if Elway likes a quarterback enough to develop behind Orton, trusting Tebow is not the long-term solution.

The Bills seem to be a favorite every year to take a quarterback in the first round to build their franchise around, but every pick has seemed to falter. As the third pick, the Bills will have to see what happens in front of them as to whether another quarterback gamble will pay off or not. Ryan Fitzpatrick did prove to be capable last season and seems like he could hold down this position for now.

The Bengals are on the verge of rebuilding or staying competitive. It looks like Carson Palmer will not be their quarterback next season and, with no replacement in sight, the Bengals will likely look to fill the void through the draft. Carson’s brother Jordan and Dan LeFevour are the only other options for the Bengals, and the Bengals likely won’t put their future behind either of their arms.

The Cardinals hold the fifth pick in the draft and they too have needs at the quarterback position. Matt Leinart never panned out and John Skelton started their last four games of the season but was unimpressive, totaling only two touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 62.3. Their other quarterbacks Max Hall and Derek Anderson, who played the bulk of the games, also had miserable seasons and are not the future for the Cardinals.

The Players

Blaine Gabbert: This quarterback from Missouri has skyrocketed up the draft board for most experts. He has great size at 6-5, and NFL-ready accuracy and arm strength. Gabbert is described as a great leader with the intangibles and his toughness is unmatched. He did however play in a spread offense, and could have difficulty adjusting to being under center for the majority of his NFL snaps.

Cam Newton: The reigning Heisman Trophy winner from Auburn has a dynamic combination of speed and arm strength. He also has great size at 6-5, and with a 250 lb. frame he makes it difficult for defenders to bring him down. Newton, like Gabbert, played in a spread offense in college and the adjustment to an NFL system may be a difficult transition. There have also been questions about what type of a person Newton is, and the fact that he has only played at a high level for one year could scare some potential drafters away.

Ryan Mallett: Another quarterback who decided to leave early for the draft, Mallett, from Arkansas, has great size at 6-7, and can make all the NFL throws. He is more suited to make the transition to an NFL offense, and does a good job reading defenses. Mallett lacks mobility and is strictly a pocket-passer which could scare teams who are trying to revamp or rebuild their offensive lines. His mental toughness and attitude are two of the things that have lowered his draft stock, but his potential is through the roof.

Jake Locker: A senior from Washington, Locker is smaller than the other top prospects at his position. Locker, at 6-2, has worked in an NFL-style offense and has a ton of experience. He has an NFL-capable arm, good speed, and leadership abilities. The knock on Locker has been his steady decline in performance, his accuracy problems, and problems with his mechanics. He did have a shaky line at Washington though, and as a top prospect in 2010, he does have all the capabilities for an NFL team willing to give him a shot.

Christian Ponder: This senior quarterback from Florida State has decent size at 6-3, and is an accurate passer and intelligent player. He has the ability to run with the ball and does a good job of reading his progressions. He doesn’t have a great arm though, which is something that really awes teams. Ponder is a solid quarterback, however, and could be a good, safe pick for a team that needs a franchise quarterback.

The potential is there, although unlikely that all of the top five teams could take a quarterback to fulfill their needs. With so many teams in need, this could be an interesting draft full of tough decisions for NFL teams already facing a difficult future.

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