AFC South power rankings heading into Week 1
By Ryan Heckman
1. Jacksonville Jaguars
Finally, we come to the defending AFC South Champions, the Jacksonville Jaguars. It is tough to argue against the Jaguars being up here at number one for a few reasons. Obviously, they won the division last year. They're the current champs.
But, they also have more talent on this roster coming into the 2023 campaign than they did a year ago. Trevor Lawrence is in Year 2 of Doug Pederson's offense, which will make a huge difference. Not to mention, having a weapon like Calvin Ridley will make a huge difference as well. Reports all offseason have been glowing about Ridley, how he looks so much better than any other wideout on the field. It's going to be fun to watch that connection this year.
Lawrence also has a first-round pick protecting his right side in Anton Harrison, and a new toy in the back field with Tank Bigsby joining Travis Etienne. This Jaguars team will be better than last year. Make no mistake about it. The only question is, will the Titans be improved enough to contend with them? These two divisional matchups could be the biggest difference in determining who wins the division at the end of the year.