Dominance of the AFC South

The AFC South has only been in existence for a mere eight years, but in that short time the Indianapolis Colts have clearly established dominance amongst their fellow AFC South Competitors. Consisting of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, and Indianapolis Colts, the division was formed in 2002 after the NFL realigned all of the divisions. For the eight years that the division has been in existence the Titans have won two championships and the Colts an astonishing six.

Yesterday’s victory over the Houston Texans allowed the Colts to clinch the division with five weeks left in the season, and allowed them to stay in the driver’s seat for home field advantage in the AFC. However, yesterday made me realize how lucky Colts fans are to have such a dominate team year in and year out. The AFC South is by no means at all a cakewalk, having produced six wild card teams in its eight years of existence, the South has proven to be one of the toughest divisions in all of football. Yet the Colts have managed to hold off surges from the Jaguars, Titans, and now the Texans, and with the exceptions of two seasons, have earned a top four seed in the playoffs. 

However, it is becoming clear that the teams from the AFC South are only getting better. The Colts are clearly the veteran team in the division, and with young talent the Jaguars, Titans, and Texans are in position to challenge the Colts for years to come. Chris Johnson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Mario Williams, and Andre Johnson are all elite players at their positions, and Vince Young, Brian Cushing, Owen Daniels, Mike Sims-Walker, and DeMeco Ryans are clearly coming into their own. This division is primed to be solid for years to come, however, until someone can knock off the Colts and keep them down, everyone is still on the outside looking in.