Over the next few days I’m going to look at each division in the NFL and give my predictions for them. Since there are 256 NFL games every season, I will be predicting 256 wins and 256 losses for the entire season. Up next, the AFC South.
This division is extremely tricky. I honestly think that any team in this division could win it and I think that any team in this division could come in last place. With that being said, here are my predictions.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars: 10-6 (AFC #3 seed)
I like this Jags team this season but I don’t love them. I just happen to like them more than anyone else in their division. Their toughest two games are against the Patriots and the Steelers and both of them are at home. They should at worst split those two games.
On offense, Leonard Fournette is absolutely amazing. After losing Marqise Lee, they are thin at wide receiver. Everyone questions QB Blake Bortles but I do believe in him. He does very well with very few offensive game changers. If I were the Jags, I would have done anything in my power to keep Allen Robinson as a weapon for Blake Bortles.
Defensively, they’ll get to the quarterback. When they don’t get to the quarterback, the best cornerback combo in the league in Jalen Ramsey and AJ Bouye will batten down the hatches.
Side note: While I’m not a Jags fan, I was an honorary Jags fan during their playoff run and I even attended their first round game against the Bills. Their fans truly love their team and they have one of the best tailgates in the business.
2. Indianapolis Colts: 9-7 (AFC 5th seed)
You heard it here first: As long as Andrew Luck stays healthy, the Colts are going back to the playoffs in what will be a weak AFC. When healthy, Andrew Luck is a top 5 quarterback in football. That alone is worth a few games in the win column.
Offensively, they have TY Hilton, Jack Doyle, and Marlon Mack. Those guys should all be poised for big years as long as Andrew Luck stays healthy.
Defensively, I love that Malik Hooker is going to be returning after suffering a torn ACL last season. He is going to be a star in this league and become the leader of that defense after missing all of last season.
While this may be an unpopular opinion, there’s always a few surprise teams every season. This year’s surprise team is going to be the Colts.
3. Tennessee Titans: 8-8
It’s not a secret anymore that Nashville is one of the best cities in America. I was there for 4th of July this year and it was the most American 4th of July I’ve ever had in my life. There was a huge concert on Broadway and the bars were filled with people wearing red, white, and blue. I’d say that the night ended with a fireworks display over the Titans Stadium but in Nashville the bars are open until 3:00 am.
Unfortunately, those were the only fireworks that will occur on that field this year because let’s face it: this team is boring. They have a very average quarterback. Aside from Corey Davis who may be a god amongst men, they have average weapons on offense. Their games are all like 16-12. There’s no excitement.
They did sign Dion Lewis who I think will give this team a new dimension that they haven’t had moving forward but I just see this team as an 8-8 team. They’ll win some games that they shouldn’t win but they’ll lose a bunch of games that they should win.
4. Houston Texans: 6-10
Speaking of unpopular opinions, here’s another one: The Houston Texans are not going to be as good as people think they are. Deshaun Watson threw a touchdown on 9.3% of his passes last season. He also threw 11 of his 19 touchdown passes off of play action.
Simply put, he isn’t going to throw for a touchdown on 9.3% of his passes this year. In fact, that number could be cut in half which would put him around the league average.
On top of that, teams are going to adjust to the Texans play-action plays and Watson won’t have as much success on the play action again. Opposing teams will adjust to him just like they have in the past with other QBs.
Aside from Watson and Hopkins, I don’t like the rest of their offense. They have the worst offensive line in the NFL. As a Giants fan, I can wholeheartedly say that when your offensive line is atrocious then it’s hard to win any football games.
The reason why I have this team at 6-10 instead of much lower is because their defensive unit is a machine. It’s absolutely impossible to hate their front seven and then I’ve always been a big fan of Tyrann Mathieu who they added this offseason.
Summary: This is going to be one of the most wild divisions in football so buckle up.