Each team has a different schedule every season. Sometimes a bunch of hard stretches happen to coincide with each other. That was the case in the AFC North with both the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns having a rough opening month of the season.
There is a bunch of overlap in the AFC South as well, with the hardest weeks out of most teams’ schedules taking place in weeks 2-5 this year. Although every schedule is different, sometimes, that is simply the way the cookie crumbles in the NFL.
As per usual, we will start with the easiest, hardest 4-game stretch and work up to the most difficult.
NFL Power Rankings every AFC South team’s hardest 4-game stretch in 2026
4. Indianapolis Colts Weeks 2-5
Heading into Kansas City, hosting the rival Houston Texans, followed up by the Washington Commanders and ending the segment with a game in Pittsburgh rounds up the hardest stretch of the Colts’ schedule. The game against the Kansas City Chiefs is a genuine toss-up with Patrick Mahomes working his way back. He is expected to be healthy to begin the season, but will he be himself and make plays?
Strangely enough, the Chiefs game might be the easiest one in this stretch for the Colts, with that being a legitimate question. Divisional matchups are never an easy task, but at least the Texans come to Indianapolis early in the season.
The Commanders are a tricky team to gauge. Will they be the team from last year, the year prior or somewhere in between? No one can really tell at this juncture until the season kicks off.
Finally, the Michael Pittman Jr. revenge game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sometimes, you just have to eat what is served. The ex-Colts wide receiver will likely be out to prove his former team wrong for trading him, and the Steelers are a solid team in general.
Overall, it is a hard stretch for the Colts, but it is one filled with potential wins. There is a world in which Indianapolis sweeps this portion. There is also one where they get swept, as every team seems to be on even footing.
3. Tennessee Titans Weeks 2-5
Hosting the Philadelphia Eagles, going to a revamped New York Giants squad, staying out east for a trip to Baltimore, then hosting the rival Texans is what the hardest part of the Titans’ schedule looks like. It is not the most daunting segment by any means.
However, the Giants had a lot of turnover in the front office, coaching staff and roster this offseason. That is a team that could be dangerous and wants to start the season off hot. Considering that matchup looks like the best chance at a win for Tennessee, things could get a bit hairy.
Baltimore is never an easy place to play. Divisional rivalries are never easy to win. Defending division champions early in the season are not typically easy outs.
That is what the Titans are staring at to begin the 2026 campaign. There could be a win or two in there, but this could be a hard start to the season for the Titans.
2. Houston Texans Weeks 14-17
Going to the Washington Commanders, hosting your top competitor for the division crown, the Jacksonville Jaguars, followed by going to a pair of potential snow games in Philadelphia and Green Bay, could be a disastrous way to cap the season off for the Texans.
As mentioned earlier, there is no telling what the Commanders will look like heading into the season. However, the other teams were in the playoffs last year. Having three out of these four games on the road is not going to be favorable.
What is less favorable is a team that plays in a dome heading into cold, potentially snowy atmospheres to fight for a division title. Speaking of the title, just before those road games comes a game in which the Texans host the 2025 AFC South winners.
It gets worse, though. The Philadelphia Eagles matchup comes on a short week as part of Thursday Night Football.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars Weeks 2-5
Going to Denver, hosting the AFC Champion New England Patriots, marching into Cincinnati and wrapping up the 4-game segment with a neutral site game with the Eagles in London is the hardest stretch that any AFC South team faces in 2026.
Both the Patriots and Denver Broncos were in the AFC title game last season. If that was not hard enough, there is only one home game in this segment for the Jaguars.
It does not get much better for Jacksonville, however. The Jaguars will not have a full capacity this season due to stadium renovations, meaning New England will not have to deal with the full strength of Duval County.
Following the Bengals game, which will not be easy by any means, comes an annual trip to London for a pair of games for the Jaguars. The first of which is the Philadelphia Eagles, then comes the Houston Texans. Considering the London games are back-to-back, the hardest matchup is probably the Broncos game, considering Houston could come out groggy.