The vanishing of Peyton Manning (and the rest of the Colts for that matter) has kicked open the door for rest of the AFC South.
The Texans run the show at 7-3, but the loss of quarterback Matt Schaub to a foot injury -- and the sudden re-appearance of Matt Leinart -- feels massively ominous. But not to the 5-4 Titans.
"It's up for grabs," quarterback Matt Hasselbeck told "The Jim Rome Show" on Friday. "It really is up for grabs. Houston is clearly out in front, they're clearly the leader, but this season there's a lot more football to be played and we're excited at least about the opportunity to still be in it."
Tennessee's hot-and-cold act is beguiling, but any questions about what Hasselbeck has left in the tank were silenced early on.
"I've been really fortunate this year, I haven't gotten hurt significantly, you kind of power through some things and I think that's part of it," Hasselbeck said. "What happens late in the year, the teams that are playing the best football are the teams that are able to take care of their bodies, be smart, and also get a little bit lucky."
Barring an apocalyptic turn of events, the Jaguars are history. In Indy, a fresh disaster unfolds weekly.
It raises the question: Who's the man you want leading you through the fire? Hasselbeck or Leinart?
