AFC South notebook: Hasselbeck bypasses broadcasting gig
The Colts return from the by this week with 40-year-old quarterback Matt Hasselbeck tasked with keeping the team's playoff hopes alive.
With Andrew Luck out up to six weeks with a lacerated kidney suffered in the 27-24 win over the Denver Broncos Nov. 8, Hasselbeck will be under center for the foreseeable future, beginning with Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.
Knowing that the fate of the Colts' season rests in large part on how he performs in the coming weeks, Hasselbeck bypassed a broadcasting opportunity over the bye week.
Last season, the 17-year veteran used the time off to serve as analyst on FOX's broadcast of the St. Louis Rams game against the Arizona Cardinals. This year, he was considering calling the Carolina Panthers matchup against the Tennessee Titans before head coach Chuck Pagano helped change his mind.
"There was a strong chance I was calling a game again this year," Hasselbeck said, per the team's official website.
"I ran it by Chuck and I just heard silence at the other end of the phone, so I just decided to audible and do something else."
At 4-5, Indianapolis enters Week 11 tied with the Houston Texans atop a struggling, but competitive AFC South. The Jacksonville Jaguars, coming off their controversial win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, sit a game back at 3-6.
Although Luck's return date is uncertain, Hasselbeck said he isn't thinking long-term in his new job as starter.
"My goal right now is just to get a win this week, try to go 1-0."
Houston defense coming on strong
The Houston Texans' defense, considered the clear strength of the team heading into the season, has lived up to the hype in recent weeks, highlighted by Monday night's dominating performance in the win over Cincinnati.
The Texans held the previously undefeated Bengals without a touchdown for the first time all season in the 10-6 win.
Houston's defense, led by J.J. Watt, has now gone 10 straight quarters without surrendering a touchdown, dating back to the team's Oct. 25 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Per ESPN, that's the longest streak in the NFL this season.
At 4-5, the Texans have won three of their last four games and enter their Week 11 matchup with the New York Jets in a first-place tie with the Colts in the division.
Mularkey returns to Jacksonville
Among the subplots to Thursday night's game between the Jaguars and the Titans is the return of Tennessee interim head coach Mike Mularkey to Jacksonville.
Mularkey spent one year as the Jaguars head coach before being fired after a 2-14 season in 2012. He was let go as part of an overhaul that saw Jacksonville owner Shad Khan hire current general manager Dave Caldwell and head coach Gus Bradley.
While the Mularkey said he isn't placing any added importance on Thursday's game simply because it's against his former team, he does regret not being allowed more time to build a winner in Jacksonville.
"It's very hard to create a culture,'' Mularkey said, per the team's official website. "You are coming in there, and everything is new. It was a situation where a new owner came in, hired a new GM, and they wanted to go in a different direction. But I just wish we would have had more time.
"I know we only won two games, but I felt like - and I think our team felt like - we had a chance to win every time we stepped on the field...We were very competitive. I would have liked to have had some more time with (former GM) Gene (Smith) and build a better roster."
Mularkey took over in Tennessee after Ken Whisenhunt was fired Nov. 3 after a 1-6 start to the season.
The Titans have split their first two games under Mularkey, beating the Saints on the road, while losing at home to the Panthers.
