Following Week 1 of the NFL Season, the Indianapolis Colts and the other three teams in the AFC South are the subjects of a lot of jokes.
Entering the 2022 NFL season, many people that pay attention to the NFL expected the AFC South to be one of the weaker divisions in the league. Half of the division is the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans, they won a combined seven games last season. The other half is the Indianapolis Colts, who are expected to be a contender, and the contending Tennessee Titans, who took a step back during the offseason.
After all four teams played on Sunday, fans are joking that the division may even be worse than anticipated. It wasn’t a good day for the AFC South as the division finished with zero wins. Fans made sure to point out that’s especially hilarious since two of the teams played each other.
not a single win in the AFC south today and two of the teams played each other
— Nora Princiotti (@NoraPrinciotti) September 11, 2022
While a draw in the NFL is embarrassing for the Colts and Texans, the performances of the other two AFC South teams were also disappointing because of the teams they played. The Jaguars were facing off against the Carson Wentz-led Washington Commanders and the Titans were going against a rebuilding New York Giants team that only won 4 games last season.
The AFC South struggled in Week 1
The Colts had well-documented struggles against a supposedly inferior Houston Texans but they weren’t the only top team that underperformed against a weaker opponent. Tennessee was up on the Giants 13-0 at halftime and even had a 20-13 lead late in the fourth quarter.
However, the Titans allowed New York to come back, score a touchdown, and convert a two-point conversion to take the lead. Even when it looked like Tennessee would pull it out late, Randy Bullock missed a 47-yard field goal as the clock expired.
The AFC South played the Giants, Commanders and each other and still came out of Week 1 with zero wins.
— Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP) September 11, 2022
The Jaguars, however, were in a competitive matchup with the Commanders. Jacksonville came back from being down 11 points early and was up on Washington 22-14 in the fourth quarter. However, they allowed two late touchdown drives from Carson Wentz and the Commanders’ offense to ultimately lose 28-22.
While this disappointing week currently has the AFC South in a negative light, it’s kind of good for the Colts. Despite not winning on Sunday, Indy is technically tied for first in the division with Houston. The AFC South may be bad, but that just means it’s a winnable division for the Colts, even if they have some things to figure out.
4 Colts responsible for the Week 1 tie with the Texans
The Indianapolis Colts started the season with a draw with the Houston Texans. Here are the players responsible for that outcome.