NFL fans rejoice, the 2021 season is just on the horizon. It’s the last month without football until March. Regardless of what team they root for, they widely remain optimistic that this is their year. Even the pessimistic fans are hopeful enough, besides their team has yet to lose a game this season.
While there are a few questions left to be answered around the league, it’s never too early for bold predictions for each of the NFL’s eight divisions. Here are those predictions for the AFC South.
This Change will take some Getting Used to
For a team whose history is known for their continuity at the quarterback position, this season like the previous three will feature yet another starter. Andrew Luck to Jacoby Brissett to last year’s starter Philip Rivers, who led the Indianapolis Colts to a Wild Card spot. This year’s starter will be former Philadelphia Eagles starter, Carson Wentz. Although the Colts have an upper-tier defense, and arguably the NFL’s best offensive line, Wentz will struggle at times. But with the running game, he will be able to do enough to lead his team to another playoff berth as a Wild Card team.
The Jaguars will finish close to .500
For the Jacksonville Jaguars, it won’t take much for this season to be more successful than last year. This team is filled with youth. First-year head coach Urban Meyer will have them ready to play and to compete. Rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence will take some lumps in year one, but will also lead his team to wins. Any likely playoff appearance is at best a year away for the Jaguars. One thing is for sure, this team should be exciting to watch.
Third Straight Rushing Title
Titans running back, Derrick Henry who’s the reigning back-to-back NFL Rushing Champion, will stiff-arm his way to his third. He will also break Eric Dickerson’s single-season record, even if it’s worth an asterisk due to the added regular season week on the schedule. The addition of Julio Jones will cause defenses to keep one less guy in the box to stop the Henry Express, leading to even more big runs from the workhorse back.
Loading…##### Season Long Division Cellar Dwellers
The team with the biggest question marks in the entire league is the Houston Texans. In the last two offseasons, they’ve let their best player on each side of the ball leave town. Last season in a head-scratching move they traded wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals. This season they released All-Pro J.J. Watt to free up salary-cap space. Ironically, he quickly signed with the Cardinals as well.
The issues at the quarterback position, Deshaun Watson‘s unhappiness with the organization from the previously mentioned roster moves and others. His off-the-field issues that may lead to a suspension, will plague the Texans all season long, and they may only win a handful of games, at best.
A Pair of Repeat Playoff Teams
The Titans will put up an obscene amount of points this season. That will allow them to run away with this division. Tennessee will redeem last season’s early playoff exit with a deep playoff run. The addition of Jones puts them among the top teams in the AFC offensively. Meanwhile, the Colts will sneak into the Wild Card round, due more to the play of their defense than that of their new signal-caller.
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