The AFC South division is home to the two teams with the largest win improvements from 2022 to 2023 in the entire NFL: the reigning division champion Houston Texans and the division runner-up Indianapolis Colts.
Houston jumped from three wins in 2022, which landed them the No. 2 overall and eventual 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year quarterback C.J. Stroud, to 10 wins thanks to Stroud’s and 2023 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year edge rusher Will Anderson Jr.’s — the third overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft — efforts for rookie head coach DeMeco Ryans, a former Texans player himself. Stroud and Anderson Jr. became only the fourth pair of teammates to take home both rookie of the year awards in the same season joining the New York Jets 2022 duo of wide receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner, the New Orleans Saints 2018 combo of running back
They defeated Indianapolis, who went 9-8 in Year 1 under new head coach Shane Steichen despite going 4-12-1 the previous year, 23-19 in Week 18. The Colts simply being in position to win the division down until the game’s final possession is incredible with 2023 fourth overall pick quarterback Anthony Richardson (missed 13 games including final 12 after season-ending shoulder injury) and 2022 First-Team All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor (missed seven games, including first four) both missing significant time.
The Jacksonville Jaguars‘ 9-8 record in 2022 was good enough to win the AFC South that year, but a 28-20 loss against the Tennessee Titans in Week 18 despite being 3.5-point favorites eliminated them from both division and playoff contention. That capped a 1-5 finish to the Jaguars’ 2023 following a promising 8-3 start, which made Jacksonville only the sixth team of the 21st Century to miss the postseason after an 8-3 start.
Tennessee enters 2024 in an era centered around second-year quarterback Will Levis and his rocket launcher arm after firing defensive head coach Mike Vrabel and replacing him with Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan.
While both the Colts and Jaguars finished just a game behind the 10-7 Texans, Houston is the prohibitive betting favorite with +100 odds to take home the crown, according to Caesars Sportsbook. Likely factored into those odds is the fact that the 2024 Texans are the first team in NFL history to add a player coming off a season with 100 or more catches…
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