It will be a tough season if you are a fan of a professional football team in the southern United States. In a previous article on the NFC South, I predicted that the Carolina Panthers will win the division with a rookie quarterback and a record of 10-7. However, in the AFC South, it looks just as dicey because the division appears to be the weakest in the conference. The division has produced only 2 Superbowl winners in its existence, 1 was the Peyton Manning Colts in 2007, and the other was in 1970 when the franchise was in Baltimore. The division will not make it number 3 this year, but the big question is, who will come out on top and be awarded a home playoff game? In this article, we preview each team and predict their record.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-7)
After losing to the Kansas City Chiefs on November 13, 2022, the Jacksonville Jaguars were steering the down barrel of another horrible season with a 3-7 record. There were doubts about whether the franchise was heading in the right direction with Doug Pederson at the helm and Trevor Lawrence as their starting quarterback. However, the Jaguars completed a remarkable turnaround by winning 6 of their last seven regular season games. In the playoffs, the team showed remarkable resiliency in overcoming a 27-point deficit to stun the Los Angeles Chargers on a Saturday night in Duval County. Despite the disappointment of losing to the Chiefs for the second time to the end their season, the Jaguars proved they are heading in the right direction. In 2023, Lawrence is likely to become one of the top young quarterbacks in the game. His play will elevate if Calvin Ridley lives up to the hype of a number one wide receiver. The key for this team will be if they step up to the plate on the defensive end after making a slew of first-round picks to supplement the unit. An interesting nugget from this season is that the Jaguars will be the first NFL team to play in London twice and in successive weeks against the Falcons and Bills. It will be disadvantage because the NFL did not give them a bye week after to recover. Yikes! Despite the rough schedule, I have them winning the division because they have the best quarterback and coach duo.
2. Tennessee Titans (8-9)
The Titans had an opposite 2022 season compared to the Jacksonville Jaguars because they started with a 7-3 record and atop the division. However, they lost momentum and spiraled out of the playoff picture thanks to a seven-game losing streak to end the season, including a make-or-break loss to Jacksonville in Week 17. The team made the splashy move of beating the New England Patriots to the signing of De’Andre Hopkins. The defense is solid, but I don’t believe in this team because of the uncertainty at the quarterback position. Ryan Tannehill has proven to be an unreliable starter in this league, and he is likely to wilt under pressure during his contract year. Also, Derrick Henry is in his final season, and is the focal point of the offense will be looking to get his last payday from the franchise. The Titans face the Chargers, Browns, Bengals, and Ravens in 4 out of the first six games, which means they could trade Henry if things go south.
3. Houston Texans (6-11)
Demeco Ryans was hired in the offseason as the Head Coach of the Texas franchise. Ryan is an astute defensive mind and led the San Francisco 49ers to become one of the best units in the league last season. Ryan is in a tough position to resurrect this franchise from the cellars after a 3-13-1 record in 2022. The rebuild began with drafting former Ohio State Buckeye, C.J. Stroud as the number 2 overall pick in the first round. Stroud has potential after a decorated collegiate career, but will it translate to the NFL? Possibly but it’s hard to see it happening right away in his rookie season. They will hope he is ultimately the missing puzzle to replace Deshaun Watson. The defense has a nice building block in Will Anderson from the vaunted Alabama unit. They will hope he has the trajectory of impacting games similar to J.J. Watt. The influx of young talent will mean growing pains, but six wins is still an improvement on last season’s record.
4. Indianapolis Colts (5-12)
My projections for the Colts got worse based on the breaking news yesterday that the Colts gave permission to the All-Pro RB Jonathan Taylor permission to seek a trade. In 2021, Taylor enjoyed a breakout season totaling 2,171 overall yards and 20 TDs. However, in 2022, Taylor missed six games and was held to 1,004 overall yards and four touchdowns. It is not a coincidence that Taylor’s performance in 2021 led to a 9-8 record and the team missing the playoffs. However, in 2022, the franchise had a disastrous 4-12-1 record with Taylor missing games. Therefore, if Taylor leaves this team, then my belief in them succeeding without him will plummet like the stock market. The team drafted Anthony Richardson, a dynamic quarterback, but he will need more talent on this roster to make them a contender. The best thing about his situation is that Richardson will have rookie Head Coach Shane Steichen, who helped Jaylen Hurts blossom into a superstar in 2022. Fans can hope for a miracle, but I am a realist.