Jacksonville Jaguars

Which Team Is the Next New Orleans?

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By Chris Burke 2/10/2010 9:00 AM ET

The Saints' Super Bowl win on Sunday ended a grueling 43-year title drought for the franchise -- since entering the league in 1967, New Orleans had never played in a championship game, let alone won the big one.

But in taking down the Colts, the Saints became the 18th NFL franchise to capture a Super Bowl crown. That leaves 14 desperate title-less teams, of which four (Cleveland, Detroit, Jacksonville and Houston) have never even made it to the NFL's grandest stage.

So with an eye toward next season and beyond, we take a look at who could be next to break through.

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By Josh Alper 2/06/2010 12:45 PM ET

The Jaguars are going to get an early start on their offseason on Monday by cutting ties to a pair of veterans who were with the team for one year. Wide receiver Torry Holt and offensive tackle Tra Thomas will both be given their walking papers when the league allows teams to start waiving players after the Super Bowl.

Neither move is particularly surprising. The Jaguars drafted a pair of young tackles -- Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton -- early in the 2009 draft and Thomas, who signed as a free agent in March, only played in eight games all season. He started 165 games for the Eagles between 1998 and 2008, but it's hard to think he has much left in the tank at 36.

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By Will Brinson 1/12/2010 5:45 PM ET

Jack Del Rio, despite multiple reports throughout Monday evening that intimated he might be leaving Jacksonville for his alma mater USC, will return at least through next season to coach the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Del Rio firmed up the news through SI.com's Peter King Monday, ending all speculation that he might bounce to the college game ... and that he would forfeit nearly $15 million (more on that in a second).

King wrote: "After a profitable meeting with owner Wayne Weaver this morning in Jacksonville, Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio will stay in his current job for at least the 2010 season."

The large salary number I mention is related to Del Rio's Jaguar contract -- in the hypothetical situation that Weaver didn't fire him and Del Rio took the USC job, he would give up the $15 million remaining on his contract. (To further that hypothetical, if Weaver had fired him Tuesday and then he'd bolted to Cali, he would be very rich. And Weaver would be very unhappy.)

The truth here is that when USC was spurned by Mike Riley and Steve Sarkisian, it started going after every potential candidate with any sort of name recognition or ties to the school; the longer they're coach-less, the more likely it is that recruits begin bolting to other schools with more stability.

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By JJ Cooper 12/27/2009 11:25 PM ET

Colts backup quarterback Curtis Painter could end up being the deciding factor in the AFC wild card race.

When Colts coach Jim Caldwell decided to bench Peyton Manning in the second half of Sunday's game, the Jets quickly turned a 15-10 deficit into a 29-15 win. It's possible that the Jets would have won anyway, but with Painter in the game, New York's job became very easy.

And with that win the Jets took control of the AFC wild card playoff race.

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By Dan Graziano 12/27/2009 5:39 PM ET

Randy Moss was all smiles Sunday, catching three touchdown passes as the Patriots clinched the AFC East.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Two weeks ago, Randy Moss was moping. Last week, he was defiant. This week, Moss was downright goofy, mugging for the crowd, laughing it up on the sidelines and smiling at his questioners in the postgame interviews. That he also caught three touchdown passes in a division-clinching 35-7 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars was no coincidence. Suddenly, Moss is happy, the Patriots are AFC East champs again and all seems right in New England.

"There's going to be good times and bad times in football," Moss said. "To have the crowd and the stadium behind us, it felt good. My last performance here wasn't too hot. So for everybody to have fun today, I think that was a good thing."

The Minnesota Vikings, stuck in coach/quarterback turmoil up in the frozen north, would do well to pay attention to what's going on here. The New Orleans Saints, losers of two straight in the Superdome and suddenly wondering what happened to the baddest home field advantage in football, may want to have a look as well. Because what the Patriots have done over the past three weeks, methodically managing their way from crisis to coronation, serves as a model for all of these contenders-come-lately. It doesn't matter what you did to get yourself into playoff contention that determines your season; it's what you do now that you're there.

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By JJ Cooper 12/22/2009 9:40 AM ET

If the Denver Broncos could have held on to beat the Raiders on Sunday afternoon, the AFC playoff picture would be pretty clear by now. But when JaMarcus Russell turned into Jim Plunkett for a couple of moments Sunday afternoon, he managed to throw the AFC wild card race into a free-for-all.

There are only four teams in the AFC with losing records while 12 teams are either in playoff contention.

In looking at the upcoming scenarios, it's safe to assume that it will take at least a 9-7 record to earn a wild card spot. With eight teams sitting at 8-6 or 7-7 there's just no logical expectation that two of those teams won't go 9-7.

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By Bruce Ciskie 12/17/2009 7:30 PM ET

The Indianapolis Colts, led by rookie head coach Jim Caldwell, are still unbeaten. That perfect mark will be put to the test Thursday night. The Colts are in Jacksonville to take on the AFC South rival Jaguars.

It's not an ideal matchup for the Colts, as it's a road game on a short week, and they're up against a team that will play hard and physical against them.

We invite you to chat with us during this key game in the AFC playoff chase. Our coverage will begin at 8:15 P.M. Eastern time.

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By JJ Cooper 12/16/2009 10:13 AM ET

With three weeks left in the season, we're not too far away from settling most of the NFC playoff picture. By Monday night, three of the four division races and one of the wild-card spots in the NFC could be decided, leaving the NFC East race as the only compelling conference storyline of the final two weeks of the season.

In the AFC, the situation is a little more muddled. Indianapolis has locked up the No. 1 seed and San Diego could wrap up the No. 2 seed this weekend with a couple of breaks. But the AFC East is still relatively wide open, and the wild-card race likely won't be settled until the final week of the season.

Here's how the playoff contenders look heading into Week 15.

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By Dan Graziano 12/10/2009 12:00 PM ET

Other than star RB Maurice Jones-Drew, it's hard to find anything to like about the Jaguars. But right now, they're an NFL playoff team.

Late Monday night, after the Packers finished pasting the Ravens in a penalty-infested prime time fiasco, we went to Ray Lewis' locker expecting fireworks. He didn't even send up a flare. The Ravens' loquacious leading linebacker wasn't thrilled about the loss, or the way it had gone down, and he's certainly not pleased with his team's 6-6 record. But he's also not panicked, and he made that clear.

"I feel more than confident any time you tell me we're going to get Terrell Suggs and Ed Reed back," Lewis said, invoking the two key defensive cogs his defense had just played the Packers without. "We have to stop the things that are causing us trouble, but I'm not panicking one bit."

Of course, the biggest reason the Ravens -- and the Steelers, for that matter -- don't need to panic is one Lewis won't address out loud. The best thing the teams on the periphery of the AFC playoff race have going for them is that one of the conference's wild card spots is currently held by the Jacksonville Jaguars -- who, if they get in, would be the worst NFL playoff team in recent history.

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By Matt Snyder 12/06/2009 6:05 PM ET

The Houston Texans are snakebitten. They entered Week 9 with a 5-3 record and were the darlings of the underdog-loving football fans -- plus, they looked poised to make the postseason for the first time in franchise history. Since then, the Texans have lost four games in a row. Twice, they could have tied the game at the conclusion of regulation, but Kris Brown missed field goals. Last week, they blew a 17-0 lead to the Colts at home.

Sunday, some more things were working against the Texans. Like Steve Slaton's injury. Like Matt Schaub having to leave the game and watch Rex Grossman do what Rex Grossman does (go 3 of 9 and throw a pick). Like Chris Brown throwing an interception on a gimmick play. Like falling behind 17-0 to a team who, frankly, isn't near as talented. And, finally ... like falling to 5-7 in a season that once had so much promise.

More: Check Box Score | Bengals Roll Lions | Steelers' Defense Disappears

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