(My Sportsbook) - I really don't understand the flippant term "player's coach", but Tony Dungy is notably one of the best in the NFL. The popular designation has been thrown around loosely by players and the media through the years, but members of the Indianapolis Colts seem to be fine with their veteran coach who makes sure his team is put in the right situation year after year.

Ever since Dungy took over the helm on January 22, 2002, the Colts have been one of the best teams in the league, averaging 12 wins a year and making six straight postseason appearances with five consecutive AFC South titles. Dungy's Colts have struggled some this season, even though they are in position for another playoff trip with an 8-4 mark and a light schedule ahead.

The Colts, who barely got by lowly Cleveland over the weekend, play three of the four remaining regular-season games at home. They will play Cincinnati and winless Detroit at Lucas Oil Stadium before heading to Jacksonville, then wrap up the regular season as the host versus division-leading Tennessee.

Dungy, who is 81-27 with Indy, will make history by taking 10 straight teams to the playoffs, passing the legendary Tom Landry (1975-83) for the most consecutive postseason appearances by a head coach since the 1970 NFL merger. His coaching excellence helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the postseason three straight years before the Colts bought in to Dungy's philosophy for a six-year playoff run since 2002.

The Colts are currently the fifth seed in the AFC thanks to five straight wins by no more than six points. Owners of the NFL's best regular-season record (110-46) since the start of the 1999 season, Indianapolis should finish with an 11-5 mark and possibly the AFC's top Wild Card spot.

With Sunday's 10-6 win at Cleveland, Dungy also ensured his 12th straight season as a head coach with a record of .500 or better. That's pretty special for the likeable head coach, as well as all the players he has graced his presence with.

NOTES: Eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback Peyton Manning completed 15 of his 21 passes for 125 yards and no touchdowns with two interceptions against the Browns on Sunday...Safety Antoine Bethea recorded the game-clinching interception with less than a minute to go in the win...Defensive end Robert Mathis returned a fumble by Browns quarterback Derek Anderson 37 yards for the game's only touchdown with 9:45 remaining. Mathis also had two sacks.

INJURIES: Leading tackler and starting middle linebacker Gary Brackett suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter against Cleveland and did not return. The defensive captain left the field on a cart and will likely miss Sunday's game versus Cincinnati. According to Dungy, weakside linebacker Freddy Keiaho likely will start in the middle, with veteran Tyjuan Hagler moving to the outside. Defensive tackle Keyunta Dawson exited Sunday's game in the second quarter with a hamstring injury and could miss the Bengals game as well. Pro Bowl safety Bob Sanders missed his third straight game with a knee injury, but the 2007 Defensive Player of the Year should be ready to go Sunday. Melvin Bullitt started for the eighth time this season in Sanders' place. Center Jeff Saturday was out with a calf injury against the Browns, with rookie Jamey Richard handling snaps.

WEEK 14: The Colts figure to have an easy matchup with Cincinnati this week at Lucas Oil Stadium, but must not look past the woeful Bengals. Indy is on the cusp of the playoffs, and a week-to-week approach for the rest of the season is the perfect way to wrap up a postseason berth. Indianapolis has won five in a row against the Bengals, including a 34-16 victory in the last meeting on December 18, 2006 at the RCA Dome.

TITANS GRATEFUL FOR STOUT DEFENSE

Tennessee Titans run-stuffing defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth is having an MVP-type season and anchors a dominating front line ready for a playoff run.

Haynesworth leads the Titans with 8 1/2 sacks, although he didn't record one in a Thanksgiving Day massacre of the winless Detroit Lions. In their 47-10 rout at Ford Field last Thursday, the Titans allowed 154 total yards, forced four fumbles - recovering two - and returned an interception for a touchdown. It was a nice rebound for a team coming off its first loss of the season, a 34-13 decision to the New York Jets on November 23.

The first line of defense is filled with a myriad of talent in defensive tackles Haynesworth and Tony Brown, and defensive ends Dave Ball, Kyle Vanden Bosch and Jacob Ford. Ball and Vanden Bosch each have 4 1/2 sacks, while Ford owns four and Brown has 3 1/2. Ball, Vanden Bosch, Ford and defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson contributed a sack apiece on Thanksgiving for the Titans, who improved to 11-1 and moved another step closer to an AFC South division title and home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs.

Tennessee needs to beat Cleveland on Sunday for its first division title since the 2003 season. It currently has a two-game lead in the race for the AFC's top seed and to make LP Field home for the entire playoffs.

"We're kind of in the driver's seat," Vanden Bosch said. "We can control what happens to us postseason-wise. We don't have to look around, hope other teams lose. All we have to do is take care of what's in front of us. The first step toward getting into the postseason would be winning this week."

Head coach Jeff Fisher noted that this week is about taking care of the task at hand and not overlooking a sinking Cleveland squad. The Browns would love nothing more than to spoil Tennessee's plans for a division title.

The Titans' stop unit will be ready, however. Tennessee's defense is second in points allowed (175), fourth against the pass (184.6 ypg), fifth in total yards allowed (281.8 ypg) and 12th against the run (97.2 ypg). The group will be tested down the stretch, however, with Houston, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis on the upcoming schedule.

After failing to get their run game started in their only loss of the season, the Titans responded in a big way by recording 292 rushing yards -- the third- highest total in franchise history -- against the Lions. Rookie running back Chris Johnson had 125 yards and a pair of scores on 16 carries, pushing his season totals to 958 yards and seven scores on 203 attempts. LenDale White was a beast as well, gaining 106 yards and two touchdown runs on 23 touches against the Lions. White has rushed for 575 yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns on 146 totes.

Johnson and White, who were held to a combined 45 yards versus the Jets, should have another solid performance Sunday against Cleveland's poor run defense, which is 26th in the league and allowing 141.3 yards per contest.

NOTES: The Titans ran for a franchise-best 332 yards at Kansas City earlier this season and posted 296 yards rushing versus the Chiefs back in 1977...Titans former starting quarterback Vince Young played for the first time since spraining his left knee in the season opener versus Jacksonville on Thursday...Starter Kerry Collins passed for just 127 yards against Detroit, but has six touchdown strikes and just one interception over the last seven games...Tennessee had 456 total yards of offense in Thursday's victory...The Titans extended a franchise record with their eighth consecutive regular- season road win...Linebacker Keith Bulluck started his 109th consecutive game...Titans kicker Rob Bironas eclipsed the 100-point mark for the second straight season during the Detroit game...Tennessee posted two 100-yard rushers for the second time this season and the seventh time in team history.

INJURIES: There were no significant injuries sustained in the blowout win over the Lions. Vanden Bosch played in his second straight game after missing two straight weeks with a groin injury. Cornerback Nick Harper was back in action Thursday after missing three consecutive games due to injury. Young played under center for the first time since his Week 1 knee injury.

WEEK 14: The Browns will take a trip to Tennessee this week and lead the regular-season series with the Oilers/Titans by a 33-26 margin. Tennessee has dropped the last three matchups in this series after winning the previous six.

FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR TEXANS

The Houston Texans didn't disappoint in their Monday night debut with a 30-17 hammering of the AFC South-rival Jacksonville Jaguars at Reliant Stadium. The Texans are already out of the playoffs for the seventh time since the franchise's inception year of 2002, but played inspiring football on primetime to improve to 5-7 this year.

Behind a cohesive offensive line, Texans rookie running back Steve Slaton seemed enlivened under the bright lights and posted 130 yards and a pair of touchdown runs in the fourth quarter, including a 40-yard score with about two minutes to go in the game. He now has eight touchdowns this season to tie a rookie team record.

Slaton eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the second time in three weeks and the third time this season. He has three touchdown runs over that span and 904 yards on 180 carries during his rookie campaign.

Texans head coach Gary Kubiak certainly enjoyed watching the former West Virginia University star carve up the rival Jaguars.

"I didn't run the ball enough in the first half," Kubiak said after the game. "The rookie came up to me at halftime. Here's a rookie, grabs me by the shirt and says, 'I'm OK, give me the ball.' Watching him get stronger at the end of the game was very impressive."

The confident Slaton, who showed no signs of a lingering chest injury, also took a screen pass 46 yards on Monday to set up a Kris Brown field goal. He even earned some kudos from Jacksonville veteran running back Fred Taylor, who referred to Houston's rookie back as a "blazer".

The only adjustment Kubiak has to make at running back is finding a reliable backup for Slaton. Veteran Ahman Green is already on injured reserve and Ryan Moats is an average player, at best.

Defensive end Mario Williams will not be looking over his shoulder any time soon and is coming off an impressive showing versus the Jaguars. The No. 1 overall pick in 2006 posted a season-high three sacks and forced a fumble in the win, pushing his season total to a team-high 11 sacks. Williams seems to play his best on primetime, as evidenced by last night's game and a Thursday night affair with Denver a year ago, when he registered 3 1/2 sacks.

Williams owns four multi-sack games this year and eight in his career, and has a fan in teammate and cornerback Dunta Robinson.

"Any time Mario gets three sacks, it makes my job on the back end a lot easier," Robinson said. "If Mario can continue this, there's no stopping him or us. He's the key for us to be successful on defense."

At 5-7, Houston still has a shot at topping the franchise-best 8-8 record established in 2007, with Green Bay, Tennessee, Oakland and Chicago on the schedule. The likelihood of winning out, however, is very slim.

NOTES: Sage Rosenfels, making his fourth straight start in place of injured quarterback Matt Schaub, passed for 200 yards and a touchdown with an interception for Houston on Monday...Wideout Andre Johnson is the league's leading receiver with 88 catches for 1,146 yards. He ended with 75 yards and a score on seven receptions on Monday, and his touchdown gave him 174 career points, putting him in first place in franchise history among non- kickers...Cornerback Jacques Reeves recorded his fourth interception of the season when he picked off the Jaguars' David Garrard in the first quarter...Defensive tackle DelJuan Robinson forced a fumble for the first time in his career on Monday.

INJURIES: There were no significant injuries for the Texans on Monday.

WEEK 14: Green Bay won the only meeting with Houston, 16-13, on November 21 of the 2004 campaign. The Packers are also 5-7 on the season and are coming off a tough loss to Carolina. They have lost two straight and four of their last five games.

JAGS STINK IT UP AGAIN ON PRIMETIME

In a perfect world, the Jacksonville Jaguars would play the Detroit Lions every week for a shot at a Super Bowl bid. Unfortunately that's not the case, and the Jaguars are trying to find any hole to hide in before training camp kicks off next summer.

What happened with the Jaguars this year? Did their heads get too big after preseason talk of them possibly representing the AFC in the Super Bowl? Was Jacksonville's deep run into the playoffs a year ago just a fluke?

Right now the answer to the latter two questions is yes. It appears as if this team is under the impression it can succeed on pure reputation alone, and without blood, sweat and tears.

Jacksonville's offensive line has been a bit banged up this season, hampering the success of the ground game and giving quarterback David Garrard less time to make plays. On several occasions in Monday's loss at Houston, Garrard tripped over his own feet after getting mixed up with his line.

It's very clear Garrard is not the same player he was a year ago, when he protected the football and kept drives alive with his legs. He earned the big bucks in the offseason, and perhaps his wallet is too fat for him too handle. Garrard was 25-of-35 for 287 yards with a touchdown and an interception in Monday's loss to the Texans.

The Jaguars are 4-8 on the season and are trying to avoid their worst finish since a 5-11 record in 2003.

Jacksonville, which went 4-12 in its inception year back in 1995, rode the legs of running backs Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor to the second round of the playoffs last season. Now the tandem has struggled to combine for 50 yards in a game this season. Defenses have been putting more men in the box and the Jaguars haven't adjusted.

Jacksonville's defense used to be one of the best at stopping the run, but injuries to tackle John Henderson along with the controversy between former starting middle linebacker Mike Peterson and head coach Jack Del Rio have taken their toll. Peterson has been a reserve the past few weeks after losing his job for insubordination. The defense is only 13th against the pass (204.5 ypg) and 20th in both defending the run (115.0 ypg) and points allowed (270) through 12 games this season.

"We are working hard and we're trying hard, but that's just not good enough," Del Rio said. "Our execution is not crisp."

Slaton was far better than crisp in his Monday matchup with Jacksonville, running for 130 yards and a pair of touchdown on 21 carries. That further proved that Jacksonville's defense is struggling and the team's title chances have passed long ago.

The road ahead is a difficult one for the Jaguars, who have the Bears, Packers, Colts and Ravens on the horizon.

NOTES: Taylor had 67 yards and his first touchdown of the season on nine carries at Houston. He passed Jimmy Smith for the most touchdowns in franchise history with his 70th career score...Jones-Drew ended with 49 yards on 12 touches against the Texans...Jaguars wide receiver Matt Jones finished with game-highs of 104 yards on eight receptions...Jacksonville's defense had no sacks, while Garrard went down three times...All-Pro cornerback Rashean Mathis posted his team-high fourth interception of the season and the franchise- record 25th of his career in Monday's loss.

INJURIES: Mathis was the biggest injury note for the Jaguars after he left the game with a sprained right knee.

WEEK 14: Jacksonville will visit the Windy City this Sunday for a showdown with the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. The all-time series between the Jags and Bears is knotted at two games apiece, with Jacksonville winning the last meeting by a 22-3 score at home on December 12, 2004.