2013 AFC South Predictions
Long seen as Peyton Manning’s playground, the AFC South has seen the demise of the Colts as the divisional superpower, opening the door for someone else to dominate. The Houston Texans have stepped up to this plate, and this season could see another AFC South title come to Reliant Stadium.
HOUSTON TEXANS – 2012: 12-4, SOUTH CHAMPIONS, LOST TO PATRIOTS IN DIVISIONAL ROUND
The Texans’ season ended last year in a familiar fashion: in New England with a beating at the hands of Tom Brady, but this time around Houston will feel that they have learned enough to get the better of any AFC rivals. With JJ Watt on the defensive line, they have a player who has the ability to take a game by the scruff of the neck and dominate, while the addition of Ed Reed could provide the leadership needed on the back end. Offensively, doubts linger over Matt Schaub’s quarterbacking ceiling and whether he can ever enter that top echelon of triggermen, while his best WR, Andre Johnson, isn’t getting any younger. The pick of DeAndre Hopkins, one of my favourite receivers out of the Draft, should really help with this, but the strength of the offense lies in its destructive running game. Arian Foster is a beast if he stays healthy, while Ben Tate is a backup who could break out if Foster misses any time. All in all, the Texans will have another good year this time around, and should win the division, but I just can’t see them reaching the big time with Schaub at the helm.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS – 2012: 11-5, LOST TO RAVENS IN WILD CARD ROUND
Andrew Luck and his Colts were the surprise of the season last time around, no-one expected much, but a loss to the eventual Super Bowl Champions is surely an indication of the potential in this team; but equally, it could end up being a flash in the pan. The defense was pretty woeful and has to improve a lot for Indy to go any further, no matter how well Luck plays, while the offensive line made the rookie QB run a lot more than head coach Bruce Arians would have liked. Free agent pickups Matt Hasselbeck, Ahmad Bradshaw and LaRon Landry will all add some veteran experience that is much needed for this youthful team to cut out the naïve mistakes and to continue its progress, and Arians’ strong hand at the tiller will not allow the team to slide too much. In the end, I think it will be difficult for Indy to match last season’s heroics, but they will give it a good shot.
TENNESSEE TITANS – 2012: 6-10
A team with so much promise, yet so often the Titans fail to deliver the performances the roster should, on paper, be giving the fans. When you look at the roster, this is an offense that could deliver serious fireworks: Kenny Britt, Nate Washington, Kendall Wright, Craig Stevens and now the beast from Tennessee out of the Draft, Justin Hunter, will all be catching passes from Jake Locker, while Chris Johnson looks back to the CJ2K of old, especially now Andy Levitre, Brian Schwenke and Chance Warmack have been added to his offensive line blockers. And it doesn’t stop there, the talent on defense is high too. Bernard Pollard has been added to strengthen the back end of a D-unit that includes Kamerion Wimbley, Akeem Ayers and Colin McCarthy to name three. This is a franchise that has quietly assembled a very good cast of players, and it is now down to Jake Locker to prove the faith invested in him well placed, something he is running out of time to do.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS – 2012: 2-14
Ah, the Jags. They were a bit of a mess last season, and to be honest, I can’t see much more hope for them this year, especially when they have the petrified-of-everything Blaine Gabbert under center. The fact that Jacksonville looked better under Chad Henne tells you everything, and unless Gabbert makes a meteoric metamorphosis into an NFL starting-caliber QB, the Jags will find it difficult again this year. The pick of Luke Joeckel in the Draft could help, but the supporting cast need to assist the QB, especially the troubled Justin Blackmon. Cecil Shorts was fun to watch last year, but is he really that good? Johnathan Cyprien could help on the back end, and the return from injury of MJD could make the Jags more efficient, but he really will be the bell-cow, and if he goes down again, so do Jacksonville.
ROUNDUP AND PREDICTION
It looks like Houston’s division to lose right now, and barring something extraordinary, they don’t look like letting the AFC South slip through their fingers. It will be interesting to see if another team can fight its way out of the division though, as the Colts and Titans could well be very evenly matched this year. I expect Jake Locker and Chris Johnson to improve in Tennessee, so it could be tight with a still-developing Indianapolis unit come January. The Jags just need to rebuild and try for a solid season: 5 wins would be a real achievement for Gus Bradley, but it’s probably out of reach.
