With the NFL schedule released, let’s look at where the Indianapolis Colts will finish in the division with the rest of the AFC South.
Just moments after the official schedule release, we took a look at how the Indianapolis Colts schedule will fall now that everyone knows the when and where. But what about the rest of the AFC South?
Who will run (pun intended) the AFC South next season? Will Derrick Henry control the South and bring the Titans to another divisional title after getting healthy? Will Jonathan Taylor reign supreme with another rushing title?
Will the free agency spending for Jacksonville payoff and will the Texans be able to surprise people and win more games than expected?
All of these are things to consider in a division that has the best two running backs in the league. Without going in-depth into every game for the AFC South, let’s jump right into the final records for each team.
Based on current situations, the AFC South is going to be close, again.
Jaguars are back in the same spot
The Jacksonville Jaguars will lose the tiebreaker by beating the Detroit Lions and get a win to finish in second for the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Jaguars will almost make it a three-peat for the first-overall pick. However, this will be two straight years that the top two teams in the draft have the first and second pick in the draft.
As for the AFC South, the division will sweep the Jags and Trevor Lawrence just won’t ever get things started in Jacksonville. With frustrations building, Lawrence will start making his displeasure known and begin to stir the pot.
I’m expecting Lawrence to not remain a Jaguar for long. If the team keeps losing, he’s going to want out.
Houston Texans don’t finish last
Knowing that the Jaguars were swept by the division, gives the Houston Texans an automatic two wins. The Texans are in disarray and don’t really have much of a vision as to where this team will land.
Their roster is a list of mostly unknowns and rookies are going to get quite a bit of playing time.
Luckily for them, Houston does get to pick up two wins against the NFC East, though. The Texans will win against the Commanders and Giants, and bring their total win count to four.
Former Colts running back Marlon Mack should be set up to succeed if he stays healthy. This will revitalize Mack’s career so that he can finally make his mark on the league.
This will be the last time Lovie Smith has a team this bad, as they should be in a better position the following year. However, they still have to compete with the Colts and Titans and are nowhere near that level of competition.
Titans streak comes to an end
The Tennessee Titans will finally be knocked off the top, barely. The Titans will finish 5-1 in the division and will have a hot streak to close out the season.
With the departure of A.J. Brown during the draft, the Titans will be forced to rebuild connections on the offense with Ryan Tannehill and his receivers. Tannehill is also semi-aware that he is competing for his starting job in Tennessee.
With Malik Willis on the horizon, it’s going to be looming in the air that a wrong move will have Tannehill packing his bags to move to his third team.
The big marker here on the Titans’ schedule will be a road win against the Colts, just to follow up with a home loss following a bye week. Indianapolis and Tennessee will split the series, but the Titans will ultimately lose the division.
However, they will still finish 12-5 and have a really good chance at making the playoffs in one of the wild card spots. Depending on how things shake out, Tennessee could match up with Indianapolis for a third time next season in the playoffs.
Colts will win the AFC South
The Indianapolis Colts will finally be back on top of the division for the first time since 2014. That season was the year they advanced to the AFC Championship and lost to the New England Patriots.
Finally getting a leader that is not on the brink of retirement in the locker room at the most important position makes the difference. Matt Ryan will lead the team to a successful record of 12-5 and bring a talented group of wide receivers with him to glory.
It won’t be MVP numbers from Ryan, and Taylor won’t get as recognized as he was in 2021, mostly because Ryan is able to successfully spread the ball around.
However, Indianapolis will still need to rely on the ground game in big moments to control the clock and solidify wins. If Indy can continue to do that, they will be ready for a playoff run.
Ryan should be able to run the offense well as he now has his most talented roster since coughing up Super Bowl 51 in 2017.
If there is one player that is not in the AFC East that hates the New England Patriots as much as the Indianapolis Colts, it’s Matt Ryan. They are now joined together and can help each other return to the big game.
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