Before the season, the team mentioned plenty of times in terms of winning the AFC South was the Houston Texans. Then the Indianapolis Colts came storming out of the blocks and took over. Not to be outdone, the Jacksonville Jaguars have been consistent enough to throw their hat in the AFC South race and the Texans, who started the season 0-3, are one game back of both the Jaguars and Colts after their 20-16 win over Indianapolis this Sunday. As the standings currently stand, the Jaguars are in first place with an 8-4 record, followed by the 8-4 Colts and the 7-5 Texans, with the Jaguars and Colts facing off in Jacksonville this upcoming Sunday. This race has shaped up to be a good one down with five games left. So who wins the division? Here are some pros and cons for Jacksonville, Houston and Indianapolis to win the division.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Pros
The Jaguars have a defense that can make things hard for the Colts, who they face twice in their last five games. And along with that, their defensive difference-maker, linebacker Devin Lloyd, is back healthy and playing well. He still leads the Jaguars in interceptions with four this season.
Another pro for the Jaguars is that, in addition to facing the Colts twice to finish the season, they also face the Titans once more and the New York Jets. With both these teams struggling, if they stay focused, that could be two wins they could count on.
Cons
Jacksonville has long been a team that can do some great things one week and then disappear the next. A great example of their inconsistencies is that they beat the San Francisco 49ers on the road and the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football on back-to-back weeks earlier this season. Then they turned around and lost to the Seahawks and got dominated by the Los Angeles Rams in back-to-back weeks. That type of inconsistency, along with their running game not exactly popping off the screen like it did earlier this year and could cause them issues in trying to win the division.
Houston Texans
Pros
The Texans have one of the best defenses in the NFL. They are really good at each level and can force turnovers and turn up the heat on the opposing quarterback. With this defense playing as well as they are, the Texans will be in every game they have down the stretch. Also, they face the Colts one more time to finish the season, along with teams they should have very good odds of beating, like the Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, and Arizona Cardinals.
Cons
One con will always be the Texans' offense. It was tough to watch them last season, and it has been even tougher to watch them offensively this season. The Texans have been missing Joe Mixon at running back all season, and his absence has been evident in the running game. But not to be outdone, the running game inconsistencies are directly tied to the offensive line. They have not been great this season and have been a thorn in their own offense’s side for a good portion of the year.
Indianapolis Colts
Pros
The Colts do get to face the divisional rivals that they know best. The probability is low that Jacksonville sweeps the Colts and Houston wins its final matchup against Indianapolis, but they must play well to prevent it. Another positive here is that the Colts will hopefully get back defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, a key piece in stuffing the run and rushing the passer. The addition of him will make their defense even harder to attack and put in tough situations.
Cons
The Colts still have to face the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers in their last five games, and both teams will likely be fighting for the playoffs or even the division title when Indianapolis sees them. And along with the games on the schedule, Daniel Jones' health is weighing heavily on the minds of fans and, probably, their team as well. His lack of mobility due to his leg injury limits the Colts' offense and all the things it can do and did do before his injury.
Five games left and three of the four AFC South teams have a chance to win the division and go on to the playoffs. Who wins? We will just have to wait and let it all play out on the field.