The AFC South has been more interesting, for various reasons, in 2017 than it ever was. Here is all the latest news from within the division.
For years, the AFC South has been the laughingstock of the NFL. The Indianapolis Colts went on an unprecedented tear through the division for over a decade while the other teams suffered from inept coaching and a lack of talented players.
In recent years, thanks to terrible ownership of the Colts and some Andrew Luck injuries, the Houston Texans have taken advantage and conquered the division for two straight seasons. Despite that, the Texans got no respect due to the poor teams within the division.
Going into 2017, the Tennessee Titans were considered heavy favorites to come away with the crown. The Jacksonville Jaguars were in a perennial rebuilding mode, the Texans were starting Tom Savage and the Colts didn’t have Andrew Luck to start the season.
What has transpired over the past two months was a bit unforeseen coming into the season, but the Titans have some company as they try to hold on to their division lead.
Indianapolis Colts
After months of misinformation and straight-up lies, the Colts finally placed QB Andrew Luck on IR today. Colts owner Jim Irsay attempted to dupe fans into thinking Luck would be ready early in the season, but Luck was never even close to ready, and a recent setback decided his 2017 fate.
The Colts insist that Luck will be fine for the future, but his health and outlook can’t be taken for granted. Luck hasn’t been able to throw a football without pain for nearly a year. If Luck will never be himself again, the Colts are going to be staring at the cellar of the AFC South for the next decade.
Houston Texans
We all knew Tom Savage was never going to amount to anything this season, or going forward, but not many believed QB Deshaun Watson would step in and immediately become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Say what you want about him in terms of limiting turnovers and his accuracy, but he has scorched defenses over the past month (Titans included).
Watson has thrown 16 touchdown passes and run for one more since the start of October, and his performance earned him the AFC Player of the Month award. Along with the return of WR Will Fuller, who seemingly catches everything for a touchdown now, the Texans have become arguably the best offense in the NFL. Can this continue at their current pace? Probably not, but they’re coming off a 38-point performance at Seattle. So maybe it can.
EDITOR’s NOTE: Deshaun Watson tore his ACL in practice this afternoon and everything is bad. The Texans are probably out of the race now with Tom Savage as their primary quarterback. Injuries are the worst.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Season after season, the Jaguars were branded “offseason champs” for their penchant for splashing money on high-profile free agents. This past offseason, they did it again, and it appears that all those dollars spent are beginning to positively affect their performance on the field.
The Jaguars currently sport the NFL’s third-best point differential despite having gone through their bye week already. Their suffocating defense has allowed the league’s lowest amount of points and they are getting RB Leonard Fournette back from injury this week. Owners of the same record as the Titans and with a light schedule during the home stretch, the Jaguars are breathing down the Titans’ neck.