It wasn’t been very long ago when the AFC South was arguably the weakest division in the NFL. Today, the AFC South holds a 6-4 record against non-divisional opponents. We are only in week 3 of a 17 week season, but every game is important when it comes to making the playoffs. The only guaranteed way to receive a playoff ticket is by winning your division. Here you will find a brief summary of the playoff race thus far.
Team Record Division
Tennessee Titans 2-1 1-0
Jacksonville Jaguars 2-1 1-1
Indianapolis Colts 1-2 0-0
Houston Texans 1-2 0-1
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Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans kicked off the 2017 season with a tough loss at home to the Oakland Raiders. After the loss, Tennessee went on the road to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars, before coming home to beat the Seattle Seahawks. Many expected the Seattle Seahawks game to be a low scoring affair. However, the Titans went on to win 33-27. DeMarco Murray got back to original form with a 75-yard touchdown run after missing the entire preseason and being limited in weeks one and two. Marcus Mariota was efficient, passing for 225 yards, two touchdowns, and a quarterback rating of 104.3.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars started their season off with a bang against the Houston Texans, recording 10 sacks in that game. In week two, the Titans came to town and pulled out a win thanks to three turnovers by quarterback Blake Bortles. In week three the Jaguars absolutely thrashed the Baltimore Ravens in London, winning 44-7. Bortles was night and day compared to the previous week. He threw for 244-yards, 4 touchdowns, and posted a quarterback rating of 128.2. Veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis led the way with 3 touchdown grabs. The Jaguars are now 2-1 for the first time since 2007.
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Indianapolis Colts
If it wasn’t clear before, we now know how much Andrew Luck means to the Colts. The Colts started their season off 0-2 before pulling out a win over the Cleveland Browns, 31-28. Jacoby Brissett led the Colts to victory, passing for a touchdown and picking two more up with his legs. The Colts have yet to take on a divisional opponent, and won’t until week 6 when they take on the Tennessee Titans.
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Houston Texans
Last season the Houston Texans edged out the Titans by a single game for a playoff spot. This season, many believed this division will come down to these two teams again. Next week the Texans will have an important match up against the Titans.
The Texans are already in the hole when it comes to divisional record thanks to the Jacksonville Jaguars in week one, where they gave up a stunning 10 sacks. In week two, quarterback DeShaun Watson led the Texans to a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Watson had an up and down game against the New England Patriots in week 3 but was able to keep plays alive with his legs, throwing for two touchdowns. Unfortunately, he also had two interceptions, with one of them hitting Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore right in the numbers.
However, this one can’t be completely blamed on Watson. His offensive line failed to properly protect him. The defense allowed 36 points, but also took a Tom Brady fumble to the house for a touchdown. The Texans lost this one 36-33.