AFC South 2012 Quarter One Grades

Troy Taormina-US PRESSWIRE

The AFC South is not exactly a strong division this year. With three of the four teams in mild-to-full-fledged rebuilding mode, one team remains on top: the Houston Texans. Houston is arguably the best team in the league, and undefeated at 4-0. The Indianapolis Colts follow well behind in second place with a record of 1 – 2, and Jacksonville and Tennessee are currently tied for last place with 1-3.

Houston leads in both points for and against in the AFC South, allowing just 56 points through 4 games and scoring 126 points along the way for a point differential of +70. The Colts have 61 points for and 83 points against through three games for a point differential of -22, while the Jags have 62 points for and 97 against for a point differential of -35. Most surprising, and unfortunate for fans, are the Titans, who have scored 81 points and allowed a total of 151 points through four games for a staggering point differential of -70. The Titans defense has played miserably, and is on pace to give up 604 points through the season; the NFL record for points allowed is 533 (’81 Colts).

For Houston, J.J. Watt has been having an incredible year, posting an eye-popping 7.5 sacks through four games. Watt is fast establishing himself as an absolute superstar, and could be better than Mario Williams when all is said and done. Arian Foster has also been incredibly impressive thus far, rushing for 380 yards and four touchdowns.

Rob Foldy-US PRESSWIRE

In Jacksonville, MJD has been looking like his former self, rushing for 352 yards, although he has been neglecting the end zone as he has rushed for only 1 yard. Blaine Gabbert has improved marginally, throwing for 654 yards and 5 touchdowns to 1 interception.

The Titans had struggled with Chris Johnson through the first 3 weeks, when he had collectively rushed for under 50 yards. However, he did explode last week for over 140 rushing yards, and his stats now remain at 186 yards and no touchdowns.

The Colts have looked ok at times, and Andrew Luck has had a very solid season, even if he has been overshadowed by Robert Griffin this year. His statistics on the year are 846 passing yards, with 5 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.

Overall, the AFC South is not competitive this year. With the Jags, Titans, and Colts all showing promise, we can expect some exciting competitions in the near future. This season, however, belongs to the Texans.

Overall Grade: D+. If not for the Texans, this group would rank an F. The lack of competitiveness ends up hurting this division.

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