surging Texans next test
By BARATO BRITT
The battle for the AFC South title may not be a cakewalk this year for the defending champion Indianapolis Colts.
As championship teams do, the Colts found a way to win against one of their improving division rivals, in a 22-20 nail biter in Tennessee.
A game that was not decided until the final seconds, the Titans were stuffed on their final drive by a determined Indy defense.
The outcome may have been a bit too tense for some die hards, but for defensive end Dwight Freeney, Sunday’s game was the sort he lives for.
“It’s fourth quarter, they’ve got to score, and defensively we stepped up,” he said. “I wouldn’t have it no other way. That’s the type of game I love to play. Defensively, backs to the wall, they’re at home, everybody’s booing us, I love it.”
According to head coach Tony Dungy, last week’s contest offered a better indicator of the team’s status this year. In recent years the Colts have dominated their division foes, en route to four consecutive division titles, but the AFC South continues to get better with arrivals like Titans quarterback Vince Young.
This year, the Colts’ division rivals have added incentive, as knocking off the defending Super Bowl champs can provide confidence and momentum in a division race that has been recently one-sided.
“This game has been tight the past couple of years, especially here in Nashville,” quarterback Peyton Manning added. “Teams are very familiar with each other, there’s not a lot of secrets. It’s going to go down to the wire.”
Though the Colts have dominated the division, Sunday’s win broke the Colts three-game division losing streak dating back to last year. This Sunday, the Colts will seek to break their current tie atop the AFC South, in a match up against the Houston Texans, the last team to beat the Colts in regular season play.
Once the division’s, if not the league’s, laughing stock, this year’s Texans appear stronger than ever under second year head coach Gary Kubiak. New starting quarterback Matt Shaub has also brought newfound confidence to the Texans, as one of the catalysts behind Houston’s first 2-0 start in franchise history.
Given the Texans defeated the Colts in Houston’s Reliant Stadium last year, there is little doubt the Colts will get a raucous reception from the Houston faithful.
Hard to believe, but to the victor of their week three showdown goes the outright lead in the AFC South. And as their week two escape should remind them, the Colts drive for five consecutive division crowns may be their toughest yet.
Barato Britt is a correspondent for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper.
