Poor AFC South Quarterback Play Hands Colts Another Division Title

Another year, another AFC South division title for the Indianapolis Colts. 

Ho-hum. 

The Colts won their ninth division title with Sunday's 17-10 win over the Houston Texans, albeit in unimpressive fashion. 

As has become a pattern over the second half of the season, the Colts started slow on Sunday, with the offense unable to move the ball throughout the first quarter. Things got uglier when quarterback Andrew Luck threw his second pick-six in as many games. Many of Luck's interceptions this season have been due to tipped balls or being hit while thrown, but this was all Luck. 

While the offense would get rolling in the second quarter, as Luck threw two touchdown passes, the unit failed to get into rhythm in the second half and the Colts finished with their lowest point total of the season. Fortunately, the Colts defense turned in a strong effort yet again, holding the Texans to just three offensive points. 

It was a rough day for Indianapolis, sure. About everything that could go wrong for the offense did, from dropped passes to missed throws to blown blitz pickups to poor play-calling. 

And yet, the Texans couldn't take advantage. 

It was the same old, same old for the Texans, as it has been for the entire AFC South in 2014. 

As always seems to be the case for Houston, the Texans' ceiling is limited by poor quarterback play. 

On Sunday, it was apparent even before Ryan Fitzpatrick went down with a fractured tibia. The Texans barely moved the ball in the first quarter with Fitzpatrick at quarterback, and he finished just 3-of-6 for 30 yards. The Texans managed to pick up just three first downs in four drives with Fitzpatrick on the field. 

Once rookie Tom Savage took the field, things got even worse for the Texans. Savage fumbled a snap (leading to a turnover), ran the wrong play and killed a drive with a six-yard loss and was largely incompetent, save for a few throws. 

Savage finished 10-of-19 for 127 yards and an interception. 

Even with the Colts not playing their best, the Houston defense forcing turnovers and the running game being fairly successful (Arian Foster and Alfred Blue combined for 125 yards rushing, albeit on 34 carries), the Texans never really even seemed like a threat because of the lack of a quality quarterback. 

It goes all the way back in Texans history. Here are the Texans who have led the team in passing: Fitzpatrick (career passer rating of 79.4, career journeyman), Matt Schaub (career passer rating 89.5, run out of town in disgrace after 2013) and David Carr (career passer rating 74.9, one of the biggest QB busts ever). 

The Texans are the perfect embodiment of what a lack of a QB does to a team, no matter what other pieces they have. At running back, Foster has been one of the league's best backs for the last five years, along with a powerful offensive line. There's been future Hall of Famer Andre Johnson at wide receiver. Now there's the league's next defensive legend in J.J. Watt. 

But the one thing that matters is quarterback. It's no coincidence that the Texans' best years (portions of 2008-2012) came when Schaub had his decent years. 

It's a microcosm for the rest of the division. 

Passer	Team	Years	Franchise Quarterback
David Carr	HOU	2002-2006	No
Matt Schaub	HOU	2007-2013	No
Ryan Fitzpatrick	TEN/HOU	2013-2014	No
Steve McNair	TEN	2002-2005	Yes
Vince Young	TEN	2006-2009	No
Kerry Collins	TEN	2008-2010	No
Byron Leftwich	JAC	2003-2005	No
David Garrard	JAC	2006-2010	No
Blaine Gabbert	JAC	2011-2012	No
Chad Henne	JAC	2012-2013	No
Peyton Manning	IND	2002-2010	Yes
Andrew Luck	IND	2012-2014	Yes

The one thing that separates the Colts from the rest of the AFC South is that every single year, outside of 2011, the Colts have had a franchise quarterback. The only franchise quarterback to exist in the division outside of Indianapolis was Tennessee's Steve McNair for a few years in the beginning of the division's history. 

With a franchise quarterback, the Colts have had easy pickings. 

The only years where the Colts didn't win the division were 2002 (Steve McNair leads Titans to title), 2008 (Manning starts the year injured), 2011 (Manning misses entire year) and 2012 (rookie Luck). 

"

God Bless the AFC South.

— Derek Schultz (@Schultz1260) December 14, 2014"

Now, it's not a slight to the Colts. The team can only play what's on the schedule, and the Colts have had a run of success that matches just about any other run in NFL history. Winning 10 games every year for 15 years, save a year or two, is an incredibly difficult feat no matter what division you are in. 

Colts fans should be thankful for the team they have and appreciate the success while it lasts. 

But until somebody else in the division gets a franchise quarterback to rival Luck, the Colts will continue to dominate the AFC South. 

It's similar to the AFC East, where the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins may have managed to put together slightly better teams, at times, than their AFC South counterparts, but have all been missing a franchise quarterback since Dan Marino retired. Thus, the New England Patriots have dominated the division for years. 

Because in the end, even if the Colts play poorly, Sunday's result will likely repeat itself. 

Sure, the Colts will drop an occasional game. Manning's Colts did the same. Divisional opponents are always a little more difficult because of the level of familiarity. 

But at the end of the season, that one win will never be enough. Journeymen quarterbacks can't do enough to offset a Peyton Manning or an Andrew Luck-powered Colts team for an entire season. 

Quarterbacks are the centerpiece of the modern NFL. The Colts have one, and a very good one at that. 

The rest of the division? 

Still working on it.