THE AFC SOUTH REPORT
Foles injury proves costly as AFC South gets off to mixed start
Sep 9, 2019, 5:32 am
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Nick Foles.
A look at how Week 1 shaped up for the AFC South:
1.) Chargers 30 Colts 24
Jacoby Brissett is exactly what I thought he would be in his first game starting for the Colts. Nothing special, will not be asked to do too much, and it will be a wait and see situation as we go along in the season. Even though they lose the first game of the season to the Chargers, there were a few positive signs. First and foremost there was not a drop in production from TY Hilton. He had 8 catches for 87 yards and 2 touchdowns. This was by far the most important thing to watch as a Texans fan from this game because TY has given the Texans fits over the past few years. My second and biggest observation is the running game looks very legitimate. Marlon Mack followed up his impressive year last season with a strong first game, piling up 174 yards on the ground on 25 carries. While they definitely do take a drop-offwithout Andrew Luck this season, I think there are a lot of things to be scared of about this team as a Texans fan.As for the Chargers, this is a very solid win to start the season. Offensively this team is a machine at times and I still thin that Phillip Rivers is one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the league. They will be a very serious threat in the AFC this season.
2.) Chiefs 40 at Jaguars 26
I came into this season questioning who would be the second biggest threat to the Texans this season. Would it be the Colts or the Jaguars? Jacksonville finally has a quality quarterback who has shown consistency over the course of his career and has also proven to be a very clutch quarterback when it matters. The Nick Foles injury stinks for Jags fans. It just sucks. There's no other way to put it because the defense is back and healthy and there were high hopes that this team could get back to where they were two years ago. This is a big win for Texans fans, but it still stinks whenever a player gets hurt. If anybody was wondering if the Chiefs would take a step back after a masterful first year from Patrick Mahomes, those doubts should be tossed aside. This team is great and Mahomes is going to be something special to watch for years to come. My big key to watch in this game would be if the Jaguars front seven could fluster Mahomes. The answer was no, and Mahomes had just eight incomplete passes on the day. LeSean McCoy looks to be an excellent addition to the team, and it makes sense as he has played for Andy Reid when he was with the Eagles.
3.) Titans 43 at Browns 13
Tennessee I gave no shot to win the AFC South this year. I will not overreact to Sunday's win over the Browns, but there certainly were plenty of positive signs to look at if you are a Titans fan. Any time you put up 43 points that is something everybody is going to look at. With a new offensive coordinator, Marcus Mariotta looked more comfortable in play design and statistically he fired three touchdown passes, which is a category he had been lacking in for his entire career. My biggest problem with Tennesse is their lack of weapons and playmakers. Did Derrick Henry pile up a good chunk of rushing yards (84 plus a touchdown), Yes. But will we see this kind of effort from this team on a game to game basis? That is still left to be determined, and I am a doubter. I think the bigger story from this game is Cleveland. Under a new head coach (whom many people believed to be underqualified for the job to begin with) this team committed 15 penalties. Baker Mayfield threw three interceptions as well. The lesson to be learned from this game is let's pump the breaks on what we think we know. Tennesse may be better than we thought initially and the Browns may not be Super Bowl contenders or even playoff ready at this very moment. On paper this team is solid and flashy, but it takes a working system for success to occur.
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Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.
Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.
The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.
Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.
Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.
Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.
Key moment
Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.
Key Stat
Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.
Up next
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.