Texans Fans Should Simmer Down and Other AFC South Must-Read Articles

It's only September.

In today's article of the day, Jerome Solomon of The Houston Chronicle dumps a bucket of cold water on the over-the-top reactions stemming from the Texans' hot start.

The Texans are clearly the class of the AFC right now, but the key part of that phrase is right now.

Most NFL writing tends to gloss over all problems in a win. The Texans showed weakness against Denver. The Broncos weren't good enough overall to exploit those weaknesses, but they were there nonetheless. Solomon does a good job of pointing them out.

For a team like Houston, the question has never been if they are talented, but if they can stay healthy for 16 games. It's so far, so good on that front, but it's also fair to acknowledge there's a long way to go until January.

It's going to be a painfully long season for Texans' fans. Each win will be a delight, but when a team reaches a certain level of excellence (and the Texans are there), the losses hurt a lot more.

It's hard to go four months continually playing for January. Houston will have to keep focused each and every week, because with a two-game lead in the AFC South, their ticket to the dance is all but punched.

It's wonderful that they are playing well right now, but the list of teams that played their best football in September rarely includes any champions.

General Interest

Chase Stuart of Football Perspective considers interceptions per incompletion.

J.J. Cooper of the Football Outsiders has his weekly Under Pressure column.

Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com says the Jaguars won the battle of the rebuilds over the Colts.

Steve Shackelford of Cold Hard Football Facts runs down the AFC South.

Houston Texans

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com looks at how the Texans use rub-routes to get free.

Tania Ganguli of The Houston Chronicle writes that the defense bent, but didn't break.

Stephanie Stradley of The Houston Chronicle simply says, "Whew."

Randy Harvey of The Houston Chronicle says the game should never have been that close.

John McClain of The Houston Chronicle writes that Andre Johnson outdid his own standards.

Indianapolis Colts

Bob Kravitz of The Indianapolis Star says the Colts made too many mistakes to win.

Phil B. Wilson of The Indianapolis Star says if you screw up often enough, you lose.

Mike Chappell of The Indianapolis Star says the Colts are in shock after the loss.

Tennessee Titans

Tom Gower of Total Titans decompresses after a wild win.

Doug Farrar of Yahoo! breaks down film on Chris Johnson.

David Boclair of The City Paper called the game "a thriller."

David Climer of The Tennessean wonders if the win won't spark a turnaround.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Gene Frenette of The Florida Times-Union says the Jaguars had everything break right.

Vito Stellino of The Florida Times-Union writes that Maurice Jones-Drew carried a big load.

Stellino says the game plan isn't a knock on Blaine Gabbert.