Battle of Houston

By Keith Antigiovanni

The old Houston team (Oilers) now the Tennessee Titans faced the new Houston team (Texans) on sunday and the result was a 41-7 Texan win over the Titans in Nashville.

The win puts Houston a half-game up (4-3) over the second place Titans (3-3) as the AFC South has become a two-team race with the perennial power Indianapolis Colts (0-7) and Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) appear to be out of the division race.

The Texans came into the 2011 season as the favorite to win the after it appeared Colts quarterback Peyton Manning would miss playing time for the first time in his 14-year pro career. Houston began 3-1 and in typical Houston fashion dropped two straight games in disappointing fashion.

Texans HC Gary Kubiak came into this year on the hot seat and will continue to be on it until he can get his team to the playoffs which will most likely mean winning the AFC South title.

Meanwhile the Titans came into this year with a new HC Mike Munchak to replace longtime HC Jeff Fisher. Fisher had been the longest tenured coach in the NFL and in the half-century history of the Houston/Tennessee franchise but a parting ways was mutual after a falling out with owner Bud Adams. The Titans at one time were the Colts arch rival in the new division and won the AFC South in 2002, 2003 (tied), and 2008 while the Colts won the AFC South in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010.

With the Colts appearing to be down and out for the 2011 season the two Houston teams, old and new will battle each other the rest of the way for what appears to be the AFC South's only playoff team unless both teams can go on winning streaks.