2022 AFC South preview
The 2021 season was one to forget for AFC South teams. The AFC South ended the season with only one team making the playoffs and combined for a record of 28-40, which was the worst in the NFL.
Speaking of having the worst record in the NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars look to improve their record this season after finishing last in the AFC South for the fourth-straight season.
Since the end of last season, the Jaguars have gone on a spending spree, signing and drafting talent like Christian Kirk, Brandon Scherff, Travon Walker and Devin Lloyd. With the 26th hardest schedule in the NFL and help from new head coach Doug Pederson, the Jaguars should end the season in a better position than they did last year.
Although the Jaguars ended the season last in the division, the Houston Texans were only one game from being there themselves. After a difficult offseason of trading embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson, star safety Justin Reid and a ton of depth across the board, the Texans may not see much improvement from last season.
The Texans don’t have any eye-opening talent on the offensive side of the ball other than Brandin Cooks and Laremy Tunsil. The defense isn’t much better, even with adding Derek Stingley Jr to the secondary, they do not have the talent to stop the two monster running backs in the division.
One of those running backs is Derek Henry, who makes his return after being out with an injury for most of last season. He will return to a Tennesse Titans team that does not look the same as last year after losing stars A.J. Brown, Julio Jones and Rashaan Evans.
Last year, the Titans finished as the AFC’s No. 1 seed, but were quickly knocked out of the playoffs by the Bengals in the divisional round. With a ton of questions surrounding Ryan Tannehill’s future with the team and a less impressive offense headed into the season, the Titans will struggle to get back to where they were last season.
The other monster running back in the division would be Jonathon Taylor, who led the league in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns last season. With Jonathan Taylor’s help the Indianapolis Colts finished second in the division at 9-8, missing the playoffs after losing to the Jaguars in Week 18.
After bolstering the defense with Stephon Gilmore, Rodney Mcleod, Yannick Ngakoue and replacing Carson Wentz with Matt Ryan, the Colts are the favorites to win the division.
The AFC South will be a much more competitive division than last year, with the Colts likely coming in first place. The Jaguars and Titans will be fighting for second place throughout the year and the Texans will finish in dead last.
My predictions for AFC South final standings:
1. Indianapolis Colts
2. Tennesse Titans
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
4. Houston Texans
Micheal Bolger is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email mpb6233@psu.edu.
