The series continues... Please keep in mind that I am a Titans fan but I make a decent attempt at being reasonable toward these division foes.
Way back over the summer I began predicting how I thought the 2019-2020 NFL season would pan out. I literally went through week by week how each matchup would go. It was pretty tedious. It was pretty fun too!
Check out my predictions from a few months back here.
Now that the season is practically over, I thought it would be fun to see how accurate or in-accurate I was. You never know how a season will go year in and year out! I know I was way off on several teams. This should be interesting. I will use these posts I have written to hopefully be more accurate next season.
In this post I will be writing about the AFC South Division.
| Final AFC South Standings | Real Record | My Pre-Season Prediction (Predicted Div. Placement) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Houston Texans | 10-6 | 9-7 (3) |
| 2. Tennessee Titans | 9-7 | 11-5 (2) |
| 3. Indianapolis Colts | 7-9 | 12-4 (1) |
| 4. Jacksonville Jaguars | 6-10 | 5-11 (4) |
1. Houston Texans
Real Finish: 10-6, Division Champs.
My Prediction: 9-7, Third in Division.
Obviously the Texans team were a hair better than I thought they were going to be, but overall the Texans had about the season I expected. Andrew Luck retiring didn't hurt. Quarterback Deshaun Watson is a solid quarterback, perhaps a bit overrated but he is good. I don't have much to say about the Texans except that they are probably as good as you think they are. No glaring weaknesses or obvious brute strengths. They epitomize what it means to be 'above average' if that makes sense. This team will surely compete well once again next season. But I question whether or not they can really threaten for a Championship. For now it seems they could be stuck in 'pretty good' territory. Which is not really a bad thing at all. Many teams wish they could be pretty good! Perhaps if Deshaun can have a perfect, magical post season they could maybe make some noise. But overall they may need more juice to take this team over the top.
2. Tennessee Titans
Real Finish: 9-7, Second in Division.
My Prediction: 11-5, Second in Division.
Now, my Titans turn.
I could certainly write a very long section about the Titans but I will try to keep this at a normal length.
I was pretty close with my prediction of the Titans. I could never have predicted the deatails of how the Titans clinched a playoff berth though. Before the season I thought quarterback Marcus Mariota would have a career year and lead the Titans to an eleven win season. But instead he stunk and was replaced by veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill. The team was 2-4 and pretty lifeless. But once the QB change happened, the whole season was basically re-born. The Titans had one of the best season turnarounds in NFL history. Tannehill and Derrick Henry looked like a seriously dangerous tandem through most of the last ten games. Then the Titans MAJORLY upset the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens. They ultimately fell short in the AFC Title game, but this team shocked the world pretty well and had a great season.
This team is on track to continue similar success in my opinion as long as this team can get through this off season with most of the roster intact. The Titans are going to have to make some tough decisions when it comes to signing players. Both Quarterback Ryan Tannehill and elite Running Back Derrick Henry have expiring contracts going into the offseason. Not to mention many other important players. If the team can keep most if it's core, then I have little doubt the Titans will be a high level team.
3. Indianapolis Colts
Real Finish: 7-9, Third in Division.
My Prediction: 12-4, Division Champs.
As a Titans fan I am so happy I got the Colts wrong. I got this team so far wrong because their elite quarterback Andrew Luck randomly retired in the prime of his career, absolutely shocking the Colts and their fanbase. The team did a decent job being somewhat competitive with quarterback Jacoby Brissett, but the offense clearly did not run as efficiently.
I will reluctantly admit that the Colts have both a pretty decent organization and coaching. I won't be surprised if this team is actually pretty good next season. Jacoby Brissett is good when healthy and their defense is no joke either. They have an ok future. Nothing elite probably, but pretty good.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars
Real Finish: 6-10, Last Place in Division.
My Prediction: 5-11, Last Place in Division.
Dang Jaguars. I was one game away from exactly predicting this team correctly.
This team has got a fair amount of work to do before they are really a playoff threat. But there's random signs of life in Jacksonville. They've got a bunch of 'ok' pieces. The have an ok young Quarterback in Gardener Minshew, which is really not a bad thing considering he is young. Although I have no idea what the Jags plan on doing with veteran quarterback Nick Foles, that could be tricky. But that's perhaps not a bad problem since Foles is obviously not terrible. They have on ok defense. They have on ok running back. If some of these 'ok' pieces can improve and the organization and coaches can add talent an whatnot, maybe the Jags can be a mild surprise next year. Very hesitant maybe, but maybe.
As a Titans fan I SERIOUSLY HOPE NOT!!!
But until these possibilities pan out, I can easily see another poor season from this team.
Well that finishes my post about the AFC South.
How do you feel about the teams in this Division? How do you think these teams will do in the future?
Keep an eye out for the rest of my divisional posts. I will also be doing a final conference seeding comparison in the future.
Steem on everyone!
