(Photo: Full Press Coverage)
1. Houston Texans: What a year they had in 2023. After a few down years, I didn’t know what to expect from them andthey truly came out of left field. Hiring DeMeco Ryans as the next Head Coach was the best thing the Texans could’ve done. They also landed two future stars in the NFL Draft, C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson. At one time, this divisionappeared to be gift-wrapped to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Once they started to struggle, Houston never looked back. They won the AFC South for the first time since 2019 and defeated the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card round before falling short to the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round. Stroud was phenomenal in his rookie year and what I enjoy about his game is how calm he is. He acts as if he’s been here before and you don’t see that in many young Quarterbacks. The Texans made one of the splash moves during the off-season with the acquisition of Stefon Diggs. The future is bright for this franchise.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars: They were the team that shocked everyone as the 2022 season was near the end. Entering last year, they were the favorites to win the AFC South once again and after 11 games, they were 8-3 with six games left to play in the season. Then came the collapse and they won only a single game in their remaining six to give them a record of 9-8 and they ended up missing the playoffs on the final day of the season which clinched the division for the Houston Texans. I need to see more from Trevor Lawrence because he hasn’t been the highly regarded prospect he was in college at Clemson. In his first 50 games of his career, Trevor is 20-30. He’s headed toward the bust title if you ask me. If the Jaguars are more consistent down the stretch, they win this division in consecutive seasons. There are many questions to be answered about this team.
3. Indianapolis Colts: I thought it would be another long year for them. They’ve struggled to find consistency at Quarterback. After Andrew Luck retired, they went through many different signal callers including Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan. The Colts drafted Anthony Richardson from Florida in the first round last year and he unfortunately got hurt and was sidelined for the rest of the year. Gardner Minshew came in and kept things afloat and even had the Colts a game away from winning a division title and making the playoffs. I have some advice for Anthony andthat’s to play smarter. You can’t get away with what you did in college at the pro level. The guys you’re facing now are bigger, faster, and stronger in the league. Having a good backup Quarterback is essential and the Colts did sign Joe Flacco to a free-agent contract during the off-season.
4. Tennessee Titans: Ryan Tannehill got benched, Will Levis came in and we saw flashes of what’s to come for the future. DeAndre Hopkins also proved he’s still an elite receiver and recorded 1,057 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in his first season in Nashville. Outside of Derrick Henry in 2023, there wasn’t much to talk about as he was their shining point. Derrick is gone as is Mike Vrabel who was relieved of his duties as Head Coach which didn’t shock me. The Titans hired former Bengals Offensive Coordinator, Brian Callahan as their next Head Coach. I think we’re in for a long, long season in Nashville.
2024 Predictions
1. Texans (12-5)
2. Jaguars (9-8)
3. Colts (7-10)
4. Titans (4-13)
The Houston Texans are the class of this division and I’m picking them to win the division for the second consecutive year. I saw what Stroud did in his first season and now, the pressure will be on him to do it again. This offense has the potential to be one of the best in the league and C.J. now has three Wide Receivers to get the ball to, Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell, and Nico Collins. This is a hungry team that’s attempting to show that last season wasn’t a fluke. Also, the Texans signed Joe Mixon during the off-season which should hopefully give them a boost in the running game. On the defensive side, the Texans added Denico Autry who’s no stranger to the AFC South, and Danielle Hunter, the former Viking. Let’s see what they do in year two of the Ryans era.
