Last year, the AFC South went to the Jacksonville Jaguars, despite their being longshots to win the division at the start of the season. Heading into 2023, the Jags are favorites to win the division, and they will need to find a way to cope with the pressure that comes with being the favorites in NFL betting markets before the year begins. Here, we break down the race in the AFC South and predict who will come out on top when the dust settles this season.
AFC South Futures Betting Odds
Jacksonville Jaguars
Last year, the Jacksonville Jaguars were expected to be bad going into the year. But the Jags ended up surprising just about everyone by claiming the AFC South title over the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts. Their defense barely allowed 20 points per game, while Trevor Lawrence took some strides forward, and the Jags will look to build on all of that in 2023 as AFC South favorites.
More than anything, the question for the Jaguars going into this season will be how they deal with being favorites to win their division. It is one thing to sneak up on opponents, but another to have to win when everyone knows who you are and what you are capable of. That is the next big step for the Jaguars to take if they want to repeat as division winners.
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans were 7-3 at one point during the 2022 season, but lost seven games in a row to finish the year at 7-10. Injuries had plenty to do with their problems down the stretch last season, as Ryan Tannehill was unable to play, leading to a ghastly combination of Malik Willis and Joshua Dobbs playing late in the year. But Tannehill is back for this season, while the Titans drafted who they hope to be their quarterback of the future in Will Levis.
Tannehill will be expected to play early this season for the Titans as Levis gets his feet wet learning their system. But there are questions about how good Levis can be even when he is deemed ready to go, as he struggled to throw the football against collegiate competition in the SEC. Either way, look for the duo of Tannehill and Derrick Henry to decide how much of this season goes for the Titans.
Indianapolis Colts
Speaking of teams that have hitched their wagon to a rookie quarterback who struggled in the SEC, the Indianapolis Colts are ready to give Anthony Richardson a shot at some point this season. Richardson was flat out bad for the Florida Gators last season, an impressive feat given how good the talent elsewhere for the Gators typically is. There will be plenty of growing pains at quarterback for this team, who will hope that Jonathan Taylor can bail them out long enough for the team to contend.
Houston Texans
Finally, the Houston Texans are almost assured to finish at the bottom of the AFC South this season, even if the majority of the division has decided to draft the most middling SEC quarterbacks they could find from a season ago. The Texans also took a swing at a rookie quarterback in the most recent draft, grabbing Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud.
Stroud has at least proven he can throw a football consistently while at Ohio State, something Levis and Richardson have yet to do. But the roster around Stroud here in Houston is bleak to say the least, as the Texans aim to improve a run defense that finished dead last in yards per game allowed a season ago.
2023 AFC South Futures Prediction
The Jaguars are an understandable favorite in the AFC South, as the other three teams in this division appear content to just look toward their futures with young quarterbacks. But it could be worth taking a flyer on the Tennessee Titans to win this division, as they should be able to keep things competitive early in the year before they unleash Levis on us.
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