Sports
Vikings Territory: The Wobby Series: AFC South Preview
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Mike Wobschall Mike Wobschall
2021-09-07
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Not typically a flashy collection of teams, the AFC South was a headline-generating machine this past offseason. The Deshaun Watson saga in Houston was a constant source of speculation, the Indianapolis Colts acquired Carson Wentz, the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Urban Meyer then selected Trevor Lawrence first overall and even added Tim Tebow for a cup of coffee and then the reigning champion Tennessee Titans moved aggressively to upgrade both sides of the ball by trading for WR Julio Jones and signing LB Bud Dupree.
After all the offseason headlines and jockeying for position, how will the AFC South shake out? Probably a lot like last year. The two changes that seem most plausible are Indianapolis hitting its groove with Wentz and upsetting Tennessee for the division title and Jacksonville generating enough improvement to surpass the turmoil-ridden Texans, who will probably be without Watson all season.
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The Colts won’t go away easily, though. They have one of the League’s best offensive lines, are well-coached, and are tough on defense. Indianapolis had top-10 rankings in total defense, scoring defense, and takeaways and they stand to improve on this side of the ball with the maturation of young talent, including the 1st-round selection of DE Kwity Paye. On offense, the Colts were aggressive in replacing the retired Philip Rivers. The acquisition of Wentz is a reuniting of a QB with his former offensive coordinator – Colts Head Coach Frank Reich was the OC in Philadelphia during Wentz’s tenure there. If the Colts are right on Wentz, it’s game on in the AFC South. If the Wentz-Colts union sputters, then Tennessee remains in a superior position.
In the end, I expect Tennessee to outlast everyone else in this division and capture another title. The Colts begin the season with games against Seattle, the LA Rams, Tennessee, Miami, and Baltimore, too, so any early struggles will only exacerbate the margin that already exists.
This press release was produced by Vikings Territory .The views expressed here are the author’s own.
