Week 7 Results and Their Effect on the AFC South Playoff Race

Checking in on the AFC South after Week 7 Results within the division.

Due to a Week 7 Houston Texans bye, the AFC South now features a two-way tie rather than a three-way tie. The Tennessee Titans and the Jacksonville Jaguars both earned wins, with the Jaguars defeating the division rival Indianapolis Colts and the Titans squeaking out an overtime win against the lowly Cleveland Browns.

Though both wins came against two of the league’s bottom-feeders, the Jaguars’ win was far more convincing as they continue to exceed expectations this season. Even though there are three teams competing for the AFC South title, there is a clear hierarchy being established, with the Texans fielding the explosive offense, the Jaguars fielding a defense-led team, and the Titans struggling to recapture their 2016 form. Meanwhile, the Colts lag behind as their season slowly slips away with Andrew Luck still yet to see the field.

It’s looking more and more as if the divisional games will make or break this division, as all three teams have been very inconsistent in getting wins. Thus, tie-breakers become the difference-maker in a division as tied up as the AFC South. Heading into a bye, the Jaguars and Titans have very different objectives, with the Titans trying to get their offense functioning again and the Jaguars trying to nurse Leonard Fournette back to health and preserve their current level of play. The Texans come off a bye to face a 4-2 Seattle Seahawks team. The Texans must win to keep pace with the division lead. Week 8 is an important one for all three competitors in the division, as how each team comes off their bye will determine the course of their second half of the season.

After seven weeks, the standings in the AFC South are as follows.

1. Titans 4-3 (division leader on tiebreakers)
2. Jaguars 4-3
3. Texans 3-3
4. Colts 2-5

Let’s examine the results from Week 7 for each AFC South team and what it means for their playoff hopes.