AFC South
The second best division in the NFL comes in at fifth in these rankings and may have been worse if the Colts didn’t make the moves they did to improve their defense and offense.
Yes, the Colts should be considered the favorite to win the AFC South next year. They added DeForest Buckner who is one of the best defensive linemen in football. They also added Philip Rivers for his likely swan song. The Colts have a solid roster and are looking to win now.
The Titans are right up there with the Colts. Their amazing run at the end of the season and into the playoffs essentially dealt the death knell to the Patriots dynasty. Ryan Tannehill was one of the top quarterbacks in the league after taking over when we consider advanced statistics. Derrick Henry will be back — and may get run into the ground — on a franchise tag deal. The Titans defense should improve this year, and Mike Vrabel has to be considered one of the best young coaches in the league.
Somehow the Texans, a team that won the division last year is third in the AFC South. No one knows what Bill O’Brien is doing with his star players. He somehow didn’t get a first-round pick for DeAndre Hopkins — or Jadeveon Clowney last year — and now there are some big question marks that the Texans need to address before the season starts.
The Jaguars are in for a rebuild. They won’t be good enough to compete in the AFC South. That’s bad news for the folks trying to keep their jobs but if they can show growth, they may be able to stick around.