AFC South Preview
For the past few years, the AFC South has typically been the worst in football. The 4 teams always seem to beat each other up and teams rarely take the initiative to go on and win the division. This division is a mixture of good offenses and good defenses but never really both. This year, the division plays the AFC North and NFC West which should give them some very favourable match ups. Here are my predictions for the forthcoming season.
Tennessee Titans
Last year 9-7
This year 10-6
10 wins will be enough to win the division this year and I see the Titans as the team to do it. The offense is one of the most exciting prospects in football with a top 5 O line; a young, rapidly improving quarterback in Mariota; a tasty running duo in Murray and Henry and a receiving core which has been heavily bolstered in the offseason. Don’t be surprised to see Mariota finish a top 5 quarterback this year. The Titans defense isn’t too shabby either. They had the number 2 ranked run defense last year and the 30th ranked pass defense. They’ve added Logan Ryan, Adoree Jackson and Johnathan Cyprien to their secondary so expect it to be much improved.
Houston Texans
Last year 9-7
This year 8-8
The Texans have one of the best defenses in the NFL but are massively let down by their offense. In 2016, ranked T28th in points scored and 29th in offensive yards gained. They have since traded Osweiler to the Browns and drafted Deshaun Watson to compete with Tom Savage for the QB job. They’ve also drafted RB D’Onta Foreman to compete with Lamar Miller. Both Foreman and Watson impressed against the Panthers last night and I think we’ll see both as starters during this coming season. The Texans have a terrible O line which won’t help whichever duo ends up in the backfield. The Texans defense will be bolstered by the return of a healthy JJ Watt and will compete to be the best in the league again.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Last year 3-13
This year 6-10
It’s the year 2050 and this will DEFINITELY be the Jags year. It seems that every year will be the Jags year but all signs point to a much-improved Jags team this year. The Jags D ranked just 6th in yards allowed last year but 25th in points allowed. A lot of that is to do with Blake Bortles throwing the fourth most interceptions (16) in the league. Many of the Jaguars 2016 stats were in garbage time once the game had already been lost. The Jags D will push to be a top 5 unit this year and 1st round pick Leonard Fournette should add a run game to the team. With an above average O line and a receiving core boasting Allen Robinson, the Jags success this season will all come down to Blake Bortles.
Indianapolis Colts
Last year 8-8
This year 5-11
As each day goes by, the Colts situation gets more and more bleak. Andrew Luck seems to be having massive setbacks with his shoulder injury and it’s reported he could miss 6 games of the 2017 season. The more games Luck misses, the less games the Colts win. A 34-year-old Frank Gore will be running behind a below average O line and there’s no doubt that the receiving core will suffer with Luck’s absence. The Colts D ranked very low in yards and points allowed last year and I can’t imagine that things will improve any this year. It’s going to be a long year for Colts fans.
By David Davenport
Check Out David’s NFC South Preview