Making playoff predictions at this point in the offseason can be a fool's quest, depending on the division. For instance, in the NFC West, predicting who will make the playoffs is a much easier task considering all three of the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, and Los Angeles Rams are playoff contenders, and you're likely to get at least two out of three picks right.
It's different with the AFC South, however, where the Indianapolis Colts share a division with the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans. On paper, the Jaguars and Texans have the edge, but having a concrete confidence in either team could lead anyone astray.
As for the Colts and the Titans, one team is obviously the better team: the Colts. But the Titans are also entering their hopeful rise on the shoulders of Cam Ward at quarterback, and who knows, maybe he'll surprise next season with a massive jump.
The Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts will compete to break their playoff slumps
As far as playoff predictions go, both the Colts and Titans are riding lengthy streaks, so is there a chance that either could break through and end their streak?
It's safe to say that for either the Colts or the Titans to snap out of their streak of missing the playoffs, they'll have to count on the Jaguars and Texans to fall on their faces next season. Which means both Trevor Lawrence and C.J. Stroud will have to massively underperform and struggle. As a Colts fan, banking on both quarterbacks to fall flat is a stretch, but what if it were just one of them?
The window opens for the Colts if that happens, but it also opens for the Titans. The Colts haven't made the playoffs since 2020, and the Titans not since 2021. What hasn't helped either of their causes is Lawrence and Stroud's presence in the division, despite both quarterbacks having up-and-down careers thus far.
The Colts and the Titans only recently settled on their permanent quarterbacks with Ward and Daniel Jones. In a four-way quarterback competition, Lawrence and Stroud have the upper hand, that's for sure. The question is: should either of the Jaguars or Texans take a significant step backward next season, who is more likely to end their playoff drought, the Colts or the Titans?
The edge has to be given to the Colts for a few reasons, but a healthy Jones at quarterback is one key factor. Before he went down with an injury last season, Jones was cooking, and the Colts were winning. They were keeping pace with the NFL's best until that season-ending injury.
Despite many questions still surrounding the Colts and certain position groups, they're the more rounded out team, while the Titans are still building around Ward. In any case, breaking out of their playoff slump might not depend on whether the Colts are playing well; it's really about how well the Jaguars and Texans are playing.
If Lawrence and Stroud play like they're expected to, and even if Jones is playing well too, it might not make a difference. Unfortunately, for Colts fans, they could be on the verge of witnessing a sixth consecutive playoff miss. If that happens, there could be significant changes on the coaching front; that's why the pressure on Steichen next season weighs so heavily.
Add us as a preferred source on Google