AFC South 2016 Prediction

by Tony | Sep 8, 2016 | 2016 Season, NFL Speculation

Andy: This division has been mostly garbage for the last several years, but there might actually be some interesting football to watch here this year. Andrew Luck returns from internal injuries. Blake Bortles looks like a decent prospect. Marcus Mariota showed some promise. Brock Osweiler gets a chance to get out from under the shadow of Peyton Manning. I don’t think there is going to be a lot of greatness coming from the teams in this division, but there should be more competitiveness – and any of these teams on a good Sunday could surprise a more talented team.

Tony: Competitive football in the AFC South I’ll give you…then again, even the NFC East is competitive. Interesting? Well, depends on your angle. The biggest thing I’ll be watching for from this division is likely whether or not Bortles can continue to emerge into a potential top 5 quarterback (fantasy wise) with his receiving corps, improved running game, and a defense that might be able to stop a Division III school this year. If they play up to their potential (and hype), at this point the division should be theirs for the taking. Andrew Luck’s kidney may be healed, but it isn’t going to be stopping opposing offenses. And the Texans aren’t going to be able to replace JJ Watt, if his back injury limits his effectiveness. And the Tennessee Titans…well, they’re building an interesting base of young potential talent, but if I were a fan, I’d be concerned over a head coach whose career as a head coach is about as inspiring as his career as a tight end.

Andy: I think Bortles can continue to develop but not put up the same numbers he did last year. Theoretically this should be a better team, so they should be holding on to a few more leads rather than throwing deep during garbage time. I like the young defensive parts they’re putting in place. It’ll be interesting to see if Chris Ivory and TJ Yeldon can team up to balance the offense a bit.

But Bortles has great potential – and great weapons. It’s the first time in … A long time that the Jaguars have been interesting to me.

Indianapolis added four offensive linemen, including first-round center Ryan Kelly, to help protect Luck’s kidney and the rest of his body. I get why they did that, but they, again, waited until the mid-rounds of the draft to address several defensive deficiencies. And the run game is still led by 78-year-old Frank Gore. So the Colts will be throwing often.

The Texans are interesting. Assuming Watt is healthy, the defense should be solid. Lamar Miller and Osweiler give the offense, theoretically, some balance.

And even Tennessee showed some promise during the preseason. Derrick Henry and DeMarco Murray could at least let the team shorten games, which should lead to close, low-scoring match-ups. I think the Titans are the least likely of the four to emerge with the division, but I’m not sure I buy into the conventional wisdom that seems to indicate that as long as Luck is healthy the Colts are the team to beat.

Tony: Osweiler is quite probably the key to the division—if he can play anywhere near the contract the Texans gave him (and they can keep JJ Watt on the field), they can probably hang on to the division.  If Osweiler struggles, teams will tee off on Lamar Miller, and he may long for the days of being forgotten in Miami…in the middle of a game…while being the only thing working.

The Titans are probably one more solid draft, and a head coach change, away from truly being competitive, but they’re moving in the right direction, and finally seem to have a plan to get there.

Andy: I think there are three teams in the division that are “one solid draft away” but I think those three teams are on the rise. I suppose it’s possible the Colts hold on to the division one more year, but there is no Super Bowl team coming from this division. In all likelihood, Indy starts to slide a bit and the others start taking their place this year and next.

Andy Predictions:

Houston
Indianapolis
Jacksonville
Tennessee

Tony Predictions:

Jacksonville
Houston
Indianapolis
Tennessee