What I think they're thinking

Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky Houston Texans

We don't get to couch it this way, because we are what our record says we are -- 6-7. But since Oct. 12, we are 6-3 and boy does that feel good.

After an emotional home win in our first Monday Night Football game, everybody figured we'd have a big letdown at frigid Lambeau Field. We shattered those expectations and won in Green Bay despite four turnovers. For many of us, it felt as big as any win we've been part of here.

But from the start of the season, the only avenue we had to move up in a challenging division was to win division games. We were 1-5 in the AFC South in 2007 when we managed 8-8. We're 1-4 in the division now and we're 2-11 all-time against the Titans, who come to Houston Sunday looking to get closer to home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

Indianapolis Colts

Though it's been two months since our 31-3 pasting of Baltimore, we remember blowouts. Our five wins since then had all been by six points or less, and while that did a lot to bolster our confidence and prepare us for a potential postseason nail biter or two, it was nice to win one easily again in the fashion we took down Cincinnati.

Our plug and play method for replacing injured guys continues to work, though the Bengals weren't a tough team to beat without Gary Brackett, Keyunta Dawson and Jeff Saturday. It was nice to have Bob Sanders back.

The Titans clinched the AFC South Sunday, but we'd come to terms a long time ago with the fact that our run of five consecutive crowns would end. If we make a Super Bowl run, we know we're going to have to do it a different way. We're feeling ready for it.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Why can't it be Jan. 8th instead of Dec. 8th? Three more? Who knows how many guys are going to play hard for three more? The fixing we've got to do isn't going to happen during the next three weeks.

Tennessee Titans

We made it over hurdle No.1. We never expected we'd be 12-1, but we did expect to make a bid for the AFC South title. We got it, but we're hardly thinking mission accomplished.

There is still a lot of doubt out there, and the only way we really quash it is to play our way to Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa.

The next step is to get to 13-1. If we get there in Houston and the Ravens win at home against the Steelers, we'll have home field advantage through the AFC playoffs sewn up before Pittsburgh comes to town Dec. 21.



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