For several years prior to 2017, the AFC South was a bit of a laughingstock in the NFL. Just take a look at the standings from just three seasons ago (2015):
The Houston Texans squeezed out a division win by one game against a middling Indianapolis Colts squad to finish 9-7 and host a playoff game. Their 339 PF were the 10th best in the AFC, and while the defense was pretty stout that year, they were hardly an inspiring bunch. Their conference record was 7-5, and they proved how mediocre they were when they were smoked by the Kansas City Chiefs, 30-0, in the first round of the playoffs.
But, I don’t mean to rain down on the Texans. The rest of that division was historically bad, too. If the Tennessee Titans didn’t go 2-14 the year before, their 3-13 effort would’ve been the worst I’d ever seen. That was a bad football team. The Jacksonville Jaguars were on their fifth straight losing season, a stretch that included two 3-win seasons and one 2-win season. That was a bad football team, too.
That 2015 season also marked a changing of the guard of sorts in the AFC South. The Colts had their first of back-to-back 8-8 seasons before collapsing to 4-12 in 2017. For the first time in over a decade, the AFC South became unequivocally up for grabs each year.
2015 was the bottoming out of sorts for this division.
But, this year is going to be different. The entire landscape of the AFC has changed, and really it all begins and ends with the AFC North. While I expect the Baltimore Ravens to be better in 2018, they’ve been mediocre at best since their Super Bowl win. The Cincinnati Bengals have taken a huge step back after being a postseason staple for half a decade, and the Cleveland Browns are, unfortunately, the Browns (sorry Jack). So, the Pittsburgh Steelers have feasted upon a weaker division than it was a few years ago.
A lot of people would probably then say that the AFC West is the division to step up. But, I think that division’s loaded with more questions than proven commodities. How will the Kansas City Chiefs adjust to a new, young quarterback? Can the Denver Broncos return to their Super Bowl form from just a few seasons ago? Will Jon Gruden get the Oakland Raiders over the hump? Can the Los Angeles Chargers live up to inflated expectations? I don’t know – seems like a lot of uncertainty to me.
Then, there’s the AFC East. I like the trajectory of the Buffalo Bills, but let’s be real here…this is the New England Patriots’ division to lose until further notice.
So, that leaves the once atrocious AFC South. Two of this division’s teams made up the final four in the AFC last season (the Titans and Jaguars). The Titans won a gutsy game in Kansas City before being trounced by the Pats in Foxborough. But, the Jaguars actually impressively went on the road and beat the Steelers to earn a spot in the AFC Championship. Really, the Jags should have appeared in their first Super Bowl, but some apprehensive play-calling led to a Pats comeback win.
Both of those teams got better during the offseason, and we haven’t even mentioned the Texans. Before his injury, Deshaun Watson looked like he was going to absolutely electrify the NFL. The Texans offense was rolling – no one was going to stop that unit. Watson will be back for 2018, as will defensive stalwarts J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus. There’s a reason they’re favored to win the division.
Lastly, there’s the rebuilding Indianapolis Colts. While 4-12 is hardly inspiring, I would caution people to call this a bad football team. They were competitive. They’re expecting Andrew Luck to be back at quarterback, and if that’s the case, this team instantly becomes a threat. Malik Hooker is an excellent building block on defense, too. So, I don’t expect the Colts to simply roll over in 2018.
This division has three teams that I don’t think anyone would be surprised to see in the AFC Championship. So, I am of the opinion that the AFC South is going to be the most competitive and the strongest division in the AFC in 2018. Let’s taco bout it.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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