AFC South Preview

The AFC South is another division in the AFC with several quality teams who will be making a run at the playoffs. The AFC South, since the alignment took place in 2002, usually started and ended with the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts have won at least 12 games every year since 2003. However, the Tennessee Titans won the division in 2008 with a 13-3 record. As a matter of fact, the Titans and the Colts are the only two teams to claim AFC South division titles since the division was created.

The Jacksonville Jaguars finished last season with a 7-9 record, and they haven't necessarily improved to make people believe in them this year. They do have productive QB David Garrard, who led them to a 12-4 record and an AFC Divisional Round appearance in 2007, his first season as a starter. They also have RB Maurice Jones-Drew, who is very productive out of the backfield running and catching the football. Other than that, the Jaguars have nothing else, which is surprising that Jack Del Rio has been able to last that long as head coach. They place the NFC East and the AFC West, so expect the Jaguars to finish at 6-10.

The Tennessee Titans are just two years removed from their 13-3 record and AFC South division crown. They got off to a terrible 0-6 start, capped off with a 59-0 loss to the New England Patriots. However, they went 8-2 when Jeff Fisher benched QB Kerry Collins in favor of QB Vince Young. Young will be the starter this year, so expectations are a little high for the Titans. The difficulty of their schedule, combined with being in the AFC South, will get the Titans a 9-7 record, just short of making postseason play.

The Houston Texans once again come into the season with bigger expectations than the year before. WR Andre Johnson is the best wide receiver in the league, and QB Matt Schaub is pretty good also. They improved their defense by drafting CB Kareem Jackson, and they already have LB Brian Cushing, who'll miss the first four games, and LB DeMeco Ryans to go along with DE Mario Williams. However, the difficulty of their schedule and being in the same division as the Colts and Titans, will hurt the Texans quest for a playoff berth. They won't make any progress, finishing at 9-7 like the year before, and fall short of a playoff appearance.

While AFC teams like the Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, and Cincinnati Bengals have improved their roster dramatically, one team still stands in the way, the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts haven't made any moves in the offseason, and they didn't need to. It starts off with arguably the best quarterback in NFL history with QB Peyton Manning, and the rest of the offense goes along. Their defense, if they can remain healthy, is also stout with S Bob Sanders, DE Dwight Freeney and DE Robert Mathis. The Colts will finish 13-3 and win the division again, and this time around, there won't be a fluke performance like the one the Saints had in the Super Bowl. Manning will capture his second title.