Inside AFC South: What Might Have Been?
When players are subtracted from the equation in a grueling NFL grind, the usual reaction is “next man up” coach speak.
But sometimes teams can’t account for a player lost, or at the very least, the performance level drops off with replacements.
Writers for the Sports Illustrated-powered web sites covering the AFC South Division can’t help but wonder what might have been for these players: a cornerback in Tennessee, a running back in Indianapolis, a linebacker in Houston, and a tight end in Jacksonville.
The Texans defense is missing its leader in linebacker Benardrick McKinney.
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Houston Texans
Not that inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney could have fixed everything that’s gone wrong with the Texans’ 30th-ranked defense, but the tackle machine is definitely missed.
McKinney was placed on injured reserve after Week 5 due to a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery. The two-time defending AFC South Division champions have fallen to 4-8 with a defense that ranks 31st in stopping the run (150.9 ypg), 21st against the pass (255.4 ypg), and 24th in points allowed (26.9 ppg).
Before 2018, the Texans showed how much they valued McKinney by locking him up through 2023 with a five-year, $50-million extension, including $21 million guaranteed. The 2015 second-round pick out of Mississippi St. was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2018 after making 102 total tackles, including 60 solos, and was solid again in 2019 with 96 total stops, including 49 solos.
The sixth-year pro was off to the best start of his career this season with 35 tackles, including 17 solos, in four games. He had averaged 101.5 tackles per season the previous four years.
The loss of a defensive leader isn’t just summed up in tackles.
“He’s a real good leader, good communicator out there,” said interim head coach Romeo Crennel. “He kind of runs the defense. Not having him out there, we have to reinforce our communication. Everybody has to do more communicating so that we can get everybody on the same page.
“B-Mac used to be the guy that did it. He could get the linemen lined up, he can help with adjustments. He did it all.”
The Texans have just eight takeaways, the fewest in the NFL, three less than any other team.
The Colts lost 2019 leading rusher Marlon Mack in the season opener.
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Indianapolis Colts
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Entering a contract year in his fourth NFL season, 2019 Colts leading rusher Marlon Mack was eager to prove his worth, especially after running back Jonathan Taylor was drafted in the second round.
But in the second quarter of the season opener at Jacksonville, Mack caught a short pass and looked to turn upfield and his body failed him. A ruptured Achilles tendon ended his season before it could begin, after rushing four times for 26 yards and two first downs. And now his career is in doubt as he faces an extensive offseason rehabilitation process while also not knowing when or for whom he will play next.
The Colts had finished seventh in total rushing last season with Mack enjoying his first 1,000-yard season in carrying 247 times for 1,091 yards and eight TDs. Taylor was to team with Mack to provide what the Colts considered a “one-one punch” in upholding the team’s “Run The Damn Ball” mantra.
Taylor has emerged in the past two games with 181 yards rushing on 35 carries (5.2 ypc) as well as seven receptions for 68 yards and one TD, but the Colts have continually struggled to establish the ground game without Mack as that starting speed back capable of breaking the longer runs. The Colts are the NFL’s only team without a 25-yard rush, rank 21st in rushing (104.8 ypg), and are 30th in rushing yards per carry (3.7).
As promising as Taylor has been, Mack would have made a difference.
Jaguars tight end Josh Oliver suffered a season-ending foot injury in preseason.
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Jacksonville Jaguars
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The Jaguars’ 2019 draft class hasn't had the best second year in the NFL. One year after Jacksonville saw its rookie class dominate snaps and the stat sheet, there has been regression and injuries. Josh Allen has been banged up for much of the year, Jawaan Taylor has taken a step back, Quincy Williams is a backup, and Gardner Minshew II has dealt with a thumb injury and a benching.
But if there is one member of the draft class that question marks are especially present, it’s tight end Josh Oliver. He could have been a major contributor because the other tight ends have failed to produce. Tyler Eifert looks like a shell of his former self, James O'Shaughnessy is only a year removed from an ACL injury, and Tyler Davis isn't ready. Oliver was meant to be Jacksonville's athletic, high-ceiling option at the position, but the Jaguars haven't seen him on the field due to a broken bone in his foot he sustained early in training camp.
"It’s just an unfortunate thing,” Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said of Oliver’s foot injury in August. “It’s something that can happen to any of us, sometimes you understand the contact part of it, but the non-contact stuff just happens, and I guess you just chalk it up to be a bad break. I mean, he was in shape, he was doing really well, we were really excited. He’s devastated, obviously, because it showed that he put a lot of work in, coming in.”
Oliver was placed on injured reserve and his sophomore season ended before it started. One of the best athletes on the team, Oliver dealt with injury issues in 2019 and appeared in just four games as a rookie. The No. 69 overall pick out of San Jose State was brought in to serve as an athletic security blanket for Nick Foles, but has caught just three passes for 15 yards in four games through the first two years of his career.
Oliver could have given Jacksonville's passing game a big-bodied option at tight end that they haven't had, but it won't be until 2021 that we see Oliver again. This is to no fault of his own, but it’s still an unfortunate situation for the team and player.
Titans cornerback Adoree Jackson has yet to play this season.
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Tennessee Titans
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Adoreé Jackson isn’t the kind of shut-down cornerback who makes the job of everyone else on the defense a little easier. But his absence has made things much more difficult for the Titans defense.
After three seasons, the 18th overall pick in the 2017 draft had shown enough that franchise officials thought they could let Logan Ryan, a 2019 cornerstone, leave via free agency. They expected to lean on Jackson more than they have at any time since his rookie season because he is one of the fastest players on the roster and a more-than-capable, open-field tackler.
The plan was for Jackson to start opposite Malcolm Butler backed by the established safety tandem of Kevin Byard and Kenny Vaccaro. After that, a collection of depth cornerbacks and safeties would be in and out of the huddle, based on situations and particular calls.
Jackson instead showed up on the injury report with a knee issue days before the season opener at Denver and was placed on injured reserve hours before kickoff. He returned to the active roster on Nov. 11, but still has not appeared in a game. In fact, he did not even practice until this week, when he was a limited participant every day before being ruled out for Sunday at Jacksonville.
Without him, the rest of the cornerbacks were asked to do more than expected. It did not work. Veteran Johnathan Joseph started six of the first seven games, but ultimately was released. Second-round pick Kristian Fulton showed promise as a nickel cornerback before a knee injury sidelined him at the start of November (he is close to returning). Chris Jackson, a seventh-round pick, competes hard, but there is a reason he was drafted when he was.
Two of the top three cornerbacks since Week 9 have been Desmond King, acquired in a deadline deal with the Chargers, and Breon Borders, who was not on an NFL roster when the season opened.
Tennessee comes into the weekend ranked 28th in pass defense and 24th in opponents’ passer rating. It has allowed more first downs passing than any team other than Seattle and is one of four teams to have allowed at least 315 completions.
With Jackson, those numbers certainly would be better.
