A Quarter-Century to Remember (2026 AFC South Preview)

The AFC South has always been somewhat fascinating, especially in the last few seasons. I still remember and enjoyed the Jacksonville Jaguars defeating the Tennessee Titans on that Saturday primetime game in the final week of the 2022 season to win the AFC South. And then there's the following year, the win-and-in game between the Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts. This was in that same slot as the one from the previous year; the Saturday primetime slot, and Houston won it to get into the playoffs, and they won the division a day later when Jacksonville lost to Tennessee.

The AFC South, as we know, has been subject to some ridicule due to the fact that whoever wins that division seems to always kick off Wild Card Weekend. In addition, since the division's formation in 2002, it's only been represented in the Super Bowl twice. Both times, it was the Colts--winning Super Bowl XLI and losing Super Bowl XLIV. The Titans' appearance in Super Bowl XXXIV came in the 1999 season.

So let's take a look at the AFC South:

Tennessee Titans (3-14)

I was very happy for the Titans for getting the #1 pick last year. They used it to nab Cam Ward, and from the looks of it, he looks like the guy in Nashville. And then, the Titans hired Robert Saleh as their head coach during this offseason. That is a huge upgrade for the Titans. Plus Saleh deserves another HC job after getting screwed over by Rodgers and Woody Johnson in NY. I keep hearing there's some promise for that team. They have their QB, they have Tony Pollard as their RB, and they have a few good targets. Playoffs are out of the picture still, but I can see the Titans doubling their win total from last year.

Indianapolis Colts (8-9)

You know, I'm still upset at the Colts for how they dogged Anthony Richardson for Daniel Jones. Did they not watch Jones with the Giants? He's a mess. And they paid for it, too. This team continues to shoot themselves in the foot. It's reached a point where there are only two interesting attributes to this team. One, Jonathan Taylor. One of the best running backs in the league, but he's not getting attention because of the team he's on. Two, Carlie Irsay-Gordon. All of Jim Irsay's daughters have taken the reins following their father's passing, but it's Carlie who we've seen on that field, every game, handling her business, and it's amazing and powerful. Amazing attributes, but regarding how the team will fare in 2026, I don't like their chances one bit.

Houston Texans (12-5)

Happy 25th anniversary to the Houston Texans! Hard to believe that this is Season 25 for this franchise. Seems like yesterday that I heard that Houston would get the NFL back, but here it is--25 years. Houston has been hard luck in football for the longest time. Their only great years came when the Oilers won the AFL's first two championships, but since then, it's been hell. The Oilers' promise in the 90s was destroyed by a bad second half and OT in Buffalo, and the season that followed was even more tumultuous. The Oilers left Houston in 1996, but the Texans brought the NFL back to Houston six years later.

The Texans debuted in 2002, but wouldn't get their first taste of the playoffs until 2011 (Year 10). That year, the Texans won the AFC South for the first of eight times (only the Colts--nine--have won it more times), but the playoff success has not come to them. The Texans enter their 25th year as not only one of four teams to have never reached the Super Bowl, they are the only team in the current NFL to have never reached the Conference Championship. They are coming of a season where they won 12 games, but find themselves with questions regarding CJ Stroud, as his playoff games last year were disastrous. He's still a high level QB, and he will prove it this year.

Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4)

What a turnaround the Jags had last season! They fired Doug Pederson prior to 2025, they hired Liam Coen, they drafted Travis Hunter, and look at the results! A 13-4 season, which is their second best campaign ever following their 14-2 season in 1999. A nine-game improvement from 2024. Champions of the AFC South for the second time with Trevor Lawrence as QB. They had Wild Card Weekend at home, but they couldn't get past Josh Allen and the Bills.

The team did lose Travis Etienne, Jr. at running back, but the Jags should still serve as quite the force in the AFC this year. 13 wins doesn't leave much room for improvement, but Jacksonville is good enough to remain a perennial playoff team for years to come.

From the way the AFC South looks, it will definitely be between the Jaguars an Texans again this year. So yeah, the games to keep an eye on are those two meetings between the clubs: Week 6 (at the Jags' second home in Wembley) and Week 15 (in Houston). It should be very intriguing to see how the AFC South plays out in 2026!