Either the Texans or the Colts have won the AFC South in nine of the last 10 seasons, and heading into 2019, the tough choice in the division is again between those two teams at the top.
Houston won the division last season for the third time in four years behind a healthy Deshaun Watson and a defense that still features J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney. Indianapolis, however, beat the division champion in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
2019 NFL PREDICTIONS:
Standings, playoff projections, Super Bowl pick
Based on SN's picks for the entire 2019 season, here are our predictions for the AFC South.
NFL predictions 2019: AFC South
Houston Texans
Watson passed for 4,165 yards and 26 touchdowns while locked in on Deandre Hopkins (1,572 yards, 11 TDs) last season, and Watt and Clowney combined for 25 sacks. Houston drafted tackles Tytus Howard and Max Schapring in the first two rounds of the draft to address their weakness on the offensive line.
The schedule is tough. Houston faces the Saints, Chargers, Chiefs and Colts on the road in the first seven weeks of the season, but coach Bill O'Brien will find a way to make it work.
Indianapolis Colts
Frank Reich led the Colts to 10 wins in his first season as coach last year. First-round pick Quenton Nelson made the Pro Bowl in his first season, and Eric Ebron continued a remarkable career turnaround.
The Colts also ranked 10th in scoring defense. Indy signed Devin Funchess from Carolina and added Spencer Ware and Justin Houston from Kansas City. In the wake of Andrew Luck's retirement, quarterback Jacoby Brissett has a lot with which to work.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Nick Foles will get his chance to lead a young, talented team that bottomed out after reaching the AFC championship game under Doug Marrone a couple years ago. The Jags reshuffled their roster in free agency and added first-round pass-rusher Josh Allen with the No. 7 pick in the NFL Draft.
The core, which includes Leonard Fournette and Pro Bowlers Jalen Ramsey and Calais Campbell, remains intact, but another 5-11 season will not be well-received.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans enjoyed a nine-win season under first-year coach Mike Vrabel in 2018, and the re-emergence of Derrick Henry powered a late-season run.
Indianapolis swept Tennessee, however, and the response for the Titans was to add veterans such as Cameron Wake, Adam Humphries and former Dolphins starter Ryan Tannehill via free agency. Jeffery Simmons, who is recovering from a torn ACL, and A.J Brown, a draft-day steal at receiver, could contribute as rookies.
2019 NFL PREDICTIONS:
AFC East | AFC West | AFC North | AFC South
NFC East | NFC West | NFC North | NFC South
AFC South: 2019 picks
- Indianapolis Colts (11-5)
- Houston Texans (8-8)
- Tennessee Titans (5-11)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12)
The Titans and Jaguars have improved on paper, but they have serious work to do on the field in order to keep up with the Texans and Colts, who are true AFC playoff contenders.
O'Brien is 1-3 in the playoffs with the Texans, and that tough schedule makes it hard to believe they will finish 11-5 again.
Even without Luck, the Colts are an intriguing contender, but they also have to survive a tough road schedule that begins with the Chargers and Titans. The Oct. 20 and Nov. 21 dates with the Texans should be circled on the Colts' calendar, because those games will decide the division.
