The AFC South brought us many surprises last year. Little did we know that the Jacksonville Jaguars will go to the AFC Championship game, or that the Houston Texans would have the most exciting quarterback in the League for a brief period. Although the quality of football hasn’t been great in the division for a few years, it has always been a competitive. This year looks much of the same.
Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6)
Jacksonville’s defense was opportunistic in preseason action against Minnesota (photo credit: Jacksonville Jaguars).
Draft Class: Taven Bryan (defensive tackle), DJ Chark (wide receiver), Ronnie Harrison (safety), Will Richardson (offensive tackle), Tanner Lee (quarterback), Leon Jacobs (linebacker), Logan Cooke (punter).
Who would’ve thought that two years ago we would be saying that the Jacksonville Jaguars would be in a Super Bowl window? The team was a defensive powerhouse last year. Plays from cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye made opposing quarterbacks’ quake in their boots. The defensive burst through the offensive line so much they donned the name ‘Sacksonville’ as they racked up 55 sacks in 2017, second only to the 56 the Pittsburgh Steelers managed. They kept the key defensive players for the 2018 season will be one of the NFL’s top defenses again.
The receivers dramatically changed for the teal and gold. 13-year veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis went to the Green Bay Packers, Austin Seferian-Jenkins was brought over from the New York Jets to fill the tight end spot. The team lost lead pass catcher Allen Robinson to the Chicago Bears and Allen Hurns to the Dallas Cowboys. After only signing Donte Moncrief from division rivals Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville will rely on their young duo Dede Westbrook and Marquis Lee.
Questions remain about QB Blake Bortles. The former third overall pick had a decent end to the season and the playoffs, however by and large his performances were inconsistent. Luckily, the former Central Florida man has running back Leonard Fournette to fall back on. The second year back had an impressive rookie season rushing for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns in the regular season before adding 242 more in the postseason and four scores.
Jacksonville will be looking to go to the playoffs again in 2018. Under Doug Marrone they have quickly developed into a serious contender in the AFC. The team need to capitalise on the strong defence before building blocks like Ramsey and Yannick Ngakoue are potentially lost to free agency further down the line.
Tennessee Titans (9-7)
Marcus Mariota (8) is entering his fourth NFL season (photo credit: Tennessee Titans).
Draft Class: Rashaan Evans (linebacker), Harold Landry (linebacker), Dane Cruikshank (cornerback), Luke Falk (quarterback).
Tennessee had an impressive 2017 season even with their blowout loss to the New England Patriots in the Divisional round of the playoffs. They stunned the Kansas City Chiefs with one of the great playoff comebacks, trailing 21-3 at the break they rallied to snatch a 22-21 victory.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for former Head Coach Mike Mularkey who agreed to mutually part ways with the team. Step up new HC, Mike Vrabel, who brought in some interesting assistants. Offensive coordinator Matt LeFleur from the impressive Los Angeles Rams could breathe new life into the offense. Vrabel used his New England connections to bring in defensive coordinator Dean Pees.
That connection didn’t stop as Super Bowl XLIX hero, cornerback Malcolm Butler, and running back Deon Lewis were signed from the AFC champions to improve their roster in two vital positions.
The new coach inherits an impressive offensive line featuring two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan and All-Pro right tackle Jack Conklin, which help quarterback Marcus Mariota stay upright. If the former second overall pick can continue his development on his current trajectory, he can ruffle feathers in Jacksonville.
Indianapolis Colts (4-12)
QB Andre Luck will feature for the Colts for the first time since 2016 (photo credit: Indianapolis Colts).
Draft Class: Quenton Nelson (guard), Darius Leonard (linebacker), Branden Smith (guard), Kemoko Turay (defensive end), Tyquan Lewis (defensive end), Nyheim Hines (running back), Daurice Fountain (wide receiver), Jordan Wilkins (running back), Deon Cain (wide receiver), Matthew Adams (linebacker), Zaire Franklin (linebacker).
The Indianapolis Colts were not impressive in 2017. Quarterback Andrew Luck was out for the season with a shoulder injury, leaving Jacoby Brissett, acquired in a trade from the New England Patriots, to take over what was already a flawed team. Now Luck has returned to be the saviour for the franchise. Although there are still question marks as he has not played a regular season game since week 17 of the 2016 campaign.
The Colts’ offseason started in disarray with the new Head Coach decision. After firing coach Chuck Pagano, the team set their sights on New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. The deal between the two looked to be agreed until a last-minute withdrawal from McDaniels. This left Indianapolis with egg on their faces and quickly searching for a replacement. Frank Reich from the champion Philadelphia Eagles was eventually brought in. Although the Colts were rushed into a quick replacement, the consensus is that Reich maybe a step up.
With the coach confusion there wasn’t many offseason changes in player personnel, the only noticeable signings being tight end Eric Ebron and wide receiver Ryan Grant from the Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins respectively. However, the team had 11 draft picks to help bring more depth and quality to the team.
Although the return of Luck is a massive positive, we don’t know how his shoulder will hold up to a 16-game schedule. Indianapolis could cause a few upsets in the division against their three counterparts and affect the playoff race, perhaps even sneak in. That would maybe be a stretch this year, but with Andrew Luck, you always stand a chance.
Houston Texans (4-12)
Deshaun Watson (4) led a high scoring Houston offense in his brief spell as starting QB. (Photo credit: Houston Texans)
Draft Class: Justin Reid (safety), Martinas Rankin (offensive tackle), Jordan Akins (tight end), Keke Coutee (running back), Duke Ejiofor (defensive end), Jordan Thomas (tight end), Peter Kalambayi (cornerback), Jermaine Kelly (cornerback).
Houston were unlucky last season. Plagued with injuries throughout the whole team, they could’ve been a deep playoff threat in 2017. Quarterback Deshaun Watson, defensive end J.J. Watt and linebacker Whitney Mercilus are all coming back from season-ending injuries.
In free agency, the team addressed the offensive line issues that have plagued them the last few years by signing Zach Faulton and Senio Kelemete. On the defensive side they signed former Arizona Cardinal fan favourite Tyrann Matheiu who will help a secondary which haemorrhaged yards and points last campaign.
Barring another slew of injuries, the Texans will be strong contenders in the AFC. With a strong defensive line including All-Pro Jadeveon Clowney, stout nose tackle D.J. Reader as well as the returning Mercilus and Watt, Romeo Crennel’s defense will be a scary prospect.
Watson was impressive last season in his brief stint, surpassing Hall of Famer Kurt Warner for most touchdowns thrown in a player’s first seven games. They have one of the best receivers in the league in DeAndre Hopkins and hopefully the duo will be together for a full slate of regular season games. Mix in the deep threat of Will Fuller and the play designing ability of O’Brien, Houston could be a trendy Super Bowl pick.
