AFC South ranked second worst division in 2024

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be looking for a bounce-back season in 2024 that begins and ends with the AFC South.

After winning the AFC South in spectacular fashion in 2022, the Jaguars saw their first-place lead crumble in the final month of the 2023 season. After an 8-3 start, the Jaguars finished 1-5 in the last six games and saw the Houston Texans overtake them after a loss in Week 18, leading to a second-place finish.

This time around, the Jaguars will look to dethrone the Texans while holding off the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans.

Although on paper the division looks as strong as it has in years, it did not earn the expected high marks in a recent Pro Football Focus ranking of each NFL division and ranked in 7th place. one to watch with a bright future, the only division ranked below was the NFC South.

The Houston Texans were the surprise of the NFL in 2023. The team won 10 games in the regular season and advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs with rookie CJ Stroud under center. The No. 2 overall pick earned an 82.8 grade in 2023, the highest grade for a rookie quarterback since Baker Mayfield in 2018.

The Jacksonville Jaguars collapsed in the second half of 2023 after starting the season 8-3. Trevor Lawrence graded out at a career-high 79.7 and established himself as a top-10 quarterback in the NFL, but he needs to cut down on turnovers.

The Indianapolis Colts were in for a real fight in the AFC South despite losing rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson early in the season to a shoulder injury. His potential remains real, and if he can avoid any setbacks, the Colts offense – with the addition of AD Mitchell – could be an exciting unit to watch in 2024.

The Titans have hired Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan as their new head coach, and he will oversee the development of Will Levis. The Titans are still competing hard and made some big moves this offseason, including signing wide receiver Calvin Ridley.

– Thomas Valentine, Pro Football Focus

That said, it certainly doesn’t seem like that’s the attitude with which the Jaguars locker room is heading into 2024. The Texans have made several prolific additions, the Colts are bringing back their core pieces, and the Tennessee Titans have added Calvin Ridley and L’ Jarius Sneed.

“It’s no joke, the AFC South has gotten better, so we have the one we have in the locker room right now and that’s the one we’re going to take to war with us,” the linebacker said Jaguars Foyesade Oluokun in April.

“If we’re going to be successful in the AFC South, we’re all going to have to improve. We can’t settle for games where we don’t play well. The team that plays the best in the conference is going to be able to win those games. Little m It doesn’t matter what the squad looks like, when you go there on Sunday you play better than the other team and you win, it has to be us playing better so let’s improve every day so that when we get there. Sunday we have the confidence that we know we can play.