The State of the AFC South
By Zachary Smith
Heading into Week 13, the playoff race in the AFC South is down to two teams: the Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts. The Houston Texans have an outside chance at claiming a playoff berth, and the Jacksonville Jaguars have already been looking ahead to the 2021 draft since August.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans are currently in 1st place with a 8-3 record. (USA TODAY Sports)
Coming off a 45-26 blowout win over the Colts, the Titans are looking to close out their season strong and win their first division title since 2008. Derrick Henry ran all over one of the best defenses in football with 27 carries for 178 yards and three touchdowns. As a team, the Titans ran for 229 yards and outgained the Colts in total yards 449 to336.
They are currently one game ahead of the Colts in the standings. With a game this upcoming Sunday against the 8-3 Browns, this is a crucial game for them down the stretch, they cannot afford to have a bad game. They own the tiebreaker of Indianapolis, but a bad couple games and the division title slip away from them. Fortunately for them, after this game against the Browns, they have only one other team on their schedule who has a winning record. The Packers are also 8-3, but their run defense is middle of the pack, so they have an opportunity to take advantage there.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are currently in 2nd place with a 7-4 record. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
With their loss to the Titans, the Colts have essentially put themselves in a two-game hole. Phillip Rivers did throw for 295 yards, but he turned the ball over again, as he threw his ninth interception on Sunday. They struggled to run the football, as they only got 56 yards on 21 carries. They will need better balance down the stretch to secure a playoff berth.
Down the stretch, the Colts still have games against the Raiders and the Steelers. The Raiders are going to be fighting for a playoff spot as they dropped to 6-5 meaning they’ll have to be at their best down the stretch as well.
On the other hand, the Steelers are still battling the Chiefs for the #1 seed. So when the two teams meet, the Steelers might have something left to play for.
Outside of those games, they have two games against the Texans and one against the Jacksonville Jaguars. If the Houston Titans slip up, the Colts should be able to win the division from them, or at the very least make it as a wild card team.
Houston Texans
The Texans are currently in 3rd place with a 4-7 record. (USA TODAY Sports)
The Texans have built a little momentum, having won two straight games over the New England Patriots and the Detroit Lions. With these victories, they have kept their slim playoff hopes alive.
Against the Lions, Deshaun Watson threw for 318 yards and 4 touchdowns. After their 0-4 start, the Texans rebounded to win four of their last seven.
At 4-7, their playoff chances are almost gone, so they need to make a decision if they want to make a final push for the playoffs or go for a better draft pick next season.
They do have two games against the Colts remaining in the next couple of weeks and if they somehow manage to take those two, they might be able to sneak in as a wild card team if they get help from a couple other teams as well.
JacksonvilLe Jaguars
The Jags are currently in 4th place with a 1-10 record. (David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire)
The Jaguars season is over and their loss on Sunday to the Browns brought their losing streak to ten in a row after winning their first game of the season against the Colts.
Mike Glennon stepped in for the Jaguars and threw for 235 yards and 2 touchdowns.
James Robinson carried the ball 22 times for 128 yards and one touchdown. Despite the solid play, the Jaguars still lost to the Browns 27-25.
In the next NFL draft, the Jags will be looking for a franchise quarterback to rebuild the team back to the contenders they were three seasons ago.
With players like Robinson, D.J. Chark and Leviska Shenault on offense, a new quarterback should have plenty of options around him.
With four draft picks in the first two rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Jaguars future should be bright past this season.
Zachary is a sports writer for La Tonique.
