Winners of three straight, the Houston Texans find themselves tied with the Indianapolis Colts for first in the AFC South with six games to play and in a far different position than they were a month ago.
After getting blown out 44-26 by the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 25, the Texans have been the division's hottest team, thanks in large part to a dominating stretch by their defense.
Through the first seven games, the Texans allowed more than 28 points per game. Since then, J.J. Watt and company have given up an average of 9.7 points per game.
Houston also went an impressive 12 straight quarters without surrendering a touchdown before the Jets' Brandon Marshall scored in the third quarter of Sunday's 24-17 win over New York.
The Texans say they're not surprised the defense has come on.
"I was not amazed because I knew we had the potential," linebacker Brian Cushing said, per the team's official website. "I knew we had it in us and we just had to get it done and we finally are.
Houston will look to continue its string of strong defensive performances Sunday against Drew Brees and a New Orleans Saints' offense averaging 25.5 points per game, seventh-best in the league.
Hasselbeck joins elite quarterback company
After leading the Colts to another victory on Sunday, Indianapolis quarterback Matt Hasselbeck finds himself in some pretty impressive company.
The 40-year-old Hasselbeck, who completed 23-of-32 passes for 213 yards with two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions in the 24-21 win over the Atlanta Falcons, is 3-0 as a starter this season.
Hasselbeck also guided the team to wins over Jacksonville and Houston earlier while filling in for Andrew Luck.
With Sunday's win, Hasselbeck joins New England's Tom Brady and Carolina's Cam Newton as the only quarterbacks in the league with at least two starts who have yet to lose this season. Per the team's official website, the 17-year veteran also joins Brett Favre and Warren Moon as the only quarterbacks over 40 to win three straight starts in the Super Bowl era.
"He's unbelievable," Indianapolis head coach Chuck Pagano said, per ESPN. "He's a smart guy and knows where to go with the football. He's crafty. He is one of those guys, and even at his age, he can scramble and extend plays. He spreads the ball out and gets it to our playmakers, and he made just enough plays to win this game."
Jaguars clawing back to respectability
Coming off last Thursday's 19-13 win over the Tennessee Titans, the Jaguars have won two straight and three of their last four. It's the first time Jacksonville has won back-to-back games since the 2013 season.
For a team that won three games last season and only has nine victories to its credit dating to 2012, this year's 4-6 record is a noticeable improvement.
While the results over the last 10 games have been promising, the schedule over the final six weeks of the season offers more reason for encouragement. The Jaguars have a favorable slate of matchups, beginning with Sunday's games against the reeling San Diego Chargers, who are 2-8.
After the Chargers, Jacksonville faces another team that is currently 2-8 in the Titans, followed by a home matchup against the Andrew Luck-less Colts on Dec. 18. The Jaguars then play a pair of struggling NFC South teams in the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints, before closing out the regular season against the Texans on Jan. 3.
Jacksonville hasn't made the playoffs since 2007. The postseason may still be a long shot at this point, but at the least, the Jaguars have a legitimate opportunity to finish .500 or better, something they haven't done since going 8-8 in 2010.
