Texans Will Win The AFC South Again

AFC South Preview

If you haven't listened, you should give the Outkick Bets podcast a chance. Geoff Clark and I went into full detail about every NFL team, specifically about the AFC this week, but we did the NFC the previous week. It is always good chopping it up with Geoff and discussing his thoughts on the teams. We align on a lot of different teams, but there were some different ones - I'm high on the Steelers, he is not, for example. He likes the Jaguars, I do not. Give it a chance and let me know what you think. One of the things we talked about is the winner of the AFC South, and that's what made me think this might be a good article as well. 

Houston Texans - 1st Place Last Year, 10-7

The Texans are one of those teams that you can either love or hate. They are very frustrating in some ways, and in others, you need to be impressed with them. Last year, they were able to get the win for the division, but it wasn't a very comfortable capture until later in the season. After starting the year 6-2, the team ended by going 4-5. They were good against their division, going 5-1 in the six games against their opponents. I would say that all three did improve year-over-year, but did the Texans? I think they did. Joe Mixon was a great addition to the team last year, but he is questionable to start the season. They will rely on Nick Chubb if he is out. The offense has quite a few good pieces with Nico Collins and Christian Kirk at receiver. Their defense should be good, so there are few things I'm really worried about for the team. The Ringer ranks the Texans as the second-best defense in football.

Indianapolis Colts, 2nd place, 8-9

You know what is never a great way to start a season? Having a quarterback battle to start your year. I don't love the Colts offense, mostly because their options are a bad Daniel Jones, or a bad Anthony Richardson. Both have flashes of talent and have shown moments of being very good. One thing I mentioned on the podcast is that Jones has been decent on the road - away from New York. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but the stats were the stats. They have decent receivers and a very good running back. Their defense is probably decent enough. I like some of their position players, but their defensive coordinator probably took a big step back. 

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - SEPTEMBER 22: Quarterback Anthony Richardson #5 of the Indianapolis Colts reacts during the first half of the game against the Chicago Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 22, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

Jacksonville Jaguars, 3rd place, 4-13

I am not a Trevor Lawrence guy. I think he has been overhyped and underperformed. He only played in 10 games last season, so maybe holding last year against him isn't quite fair. However, despite my feelings about Lawrence, he has been at least decent. He hasn't been a top-10 guy, but serviceable, certainly, especially in 2022. I'm not big on their running game, but they have some interesting options for wide receiver. They will allow Trvis Hunter to play on both sides of the ball, which should be unique. I'm not convinced he will be effective on both sides of the ball. Jacksonville's defense was terrible last year, and I don't think they will improve all that much this season. If they get to six wins, that's probably good, but are we really expecting 10 wins out of them? I don't think so.

Tennessee Titans, 4th place, 3-14

One of the most important things on your team is, of course, to have a great quarterback, but if you have any hope at quarterback, giving him solid weapons should be a priority. The Titans have somewhat done that. I actually like their combination of receivers with Calvin Ridley, Tyler Lockett, and Van Jefferson. Tony Pollard is nothing special as a running back, but with a good offensive line any running back can be successful. Unfortunately, their line is not ranked highly. That could be a problem for Pollard and also for Cam Ward, their rookie quarterback. There are a lot of questions on defense here as well. 

The Washington Commanders made a bit jump last year with Jayden Daniels under center. However, I am not expecting that the Titans make that type of jump. Lawrence, Ward, Stroud, and Jones are all decent enough options for quarterback, but Stroud is probably the best. The Texans are the cream of this division, and should be able to avoid any sort of massive improvement from the Jaguars and Titans. I think the Colts will also take a step back. I'm taking Houston to win the division. 

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