Through eight weeks of the NFL season, AFC South teams have a combined 9-21 record, with five of those wins coming in intra-divisional contests. The dismal division-wide performance has Texans owner Bob McNair looking at the silver lining of Houston’s disappointing first half as his team heads into its bye week, writes Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com.
“We knew our offense was not going to be a high-powered offense, but we felt our defense would be one of the top-five defenses, and we’ve been far from that,” McNair said, speaking to KRIV and the Houston Chronicle. “The good news is that this is a new season, and we’re tied for first. The Colts have to play Denver next week, and we might be in first place by ourselves.”
As the Texans hope that a week off will move them into the AFC South’s top spot, let’s check on a few more items from across the division….
- Titans wide receiver Harry Douglas has nothing but positive things to say about new interim head coach Mike Mularkey, telling Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com that the former Falcons offensive coordinator is one of the main reasons he signed with Tennessee.
- Mularkey got some good news as he prepares for his first game as the Titans‘ head coach, telling reporters today that Marcus Mariota will start at quarterback this week for the club (Twitter link via Wyatt).
- Here’s one more from Wyatt, who spoke to Titans GM Ruston Webster about Mularkey, former head coach Ken Whisenhunt, and retooling Tennessee’s offensive line, among other topics.
- A Sunday date with Peyton Manning and the Broncos is right around the corner for the Colts, so Mike Wells of ESPN.com revisits Indianapolis’ decision to part ways with Manning three years ago, concluding it remains the right call for the franchise.
- The city of Jacksonville and Jaguars owner Shad Khan have announced $90MM in planned upgrades for EverBank Field, according to an Associated Press report.