The story of last year’s AFC South could have had a very different ending but for a Thursday afternoon practice in November. Four days earlier, Houston Texans’ rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson had gone into Seattle and torched their vaunted Legion of Boom defense for 402 yards and four touchdowns. The Texans lost but it was further evidence that this was no ordinary first-year player. The stats brought his numbers to 1,699 yards passing and 19 scores in seven games, with 269 yards rushing and two touchdowns on the ground for good measure. Extrapolated over a season, that would have been 43 passing touchdowns, which would have been good enough for eighth all-time, behind the likes of quarterbacking luminaries Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Dan Marino.
But as Watson ran away from the ball during a play, he crumpled to the floor. The freakish injury turned out to be a torn ACL, ending the youngster’s season with his team sitting at 3-4, one game behind eventual division winners Jacksonville. They say lightning never strikes twice but that was the third such strike for the Texans – in Week 5 against Kansas City, three-time Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt was lost for the season on the same possession as fellow defender Whitney Mercilus saw his year end with a chest injury.
All three return for 2018 and, with Watson having buried himself in film study almost the moment he was diagnosed, the second-year man presents an even more dangerous proposition for opponents.
When Watson went down, Tennessee Titans were leading the division with a 5-3 record but a three-game losing streak late and Jacksonville’s surge saw them toppled into second place and a Wild Card spot by season’s end. The Titans righted the ship in the playoffs, completing an improbable comeback against the Chiefs. Quarterback Marcus Mariota got his first postseason win, along with his first touchdown pass and his first touchdown catch (on the same play). Scrambling left with his side 21-3 down, Mariota tried to find receiver Corey Davis in the endzone but the ball was batted up by Darrelle Revis, only for the quarterback to pluck it out of the air and plunge into the corner for a head-scratching score.
A match-up with the Patriots in the Divisional Round proved a step too far for Mike Mularkey’s young team and the head coach was relieved of his duties shortly after the playoff exit.
New boss Mike Vrabel brings with him eight years of experience of the Patriot Way as a player and four years of AFC South knowledge as an assistant coach in Houston. He reached back to New England to grab free agent Malcolm Butler, who was surprisingly benched in the Super Bowl. Butler will reunite with fellow former Patriot Logan Ryan. The cornerback pair will team with Adoree’ Jackson and joint NFL interception leader Kevin Byard to form a formidable defensive backfield.
After years of disappointment, Jacksonville’s fans got a mouthwatering taste of glory in 2017, leading New England for all but the final 2.48 minutes of the AFC Championship Game. The 10-6 record was their first winning mark since 2007 after former head coach Tom Coughlin was appointed executive vice president and he and coach Doug Maronne set about crafting the Jags in their no-nonsense, smashmouth image. The pair did good business in 2017, drafting Leonard Fournette at running back to establish a physical tone and take pressure off inconsistent quarterback Blake Bortles. The plan worked as Bortles was more accurate and took better care of the ball than in his three previous seasons.
This year they added mauling guard Andrew Norwell in free agency to further enhance Fournette’s thunderous abilities. On the other side of the ball, the defense was exactly what Coughlin/Maronne ordered. Free agent signing Calais Campbell destroyed his previous career best for sacks and became an extremely vocal leader of the impressive unit that scored an NFL-leading seven touchdowns. With a line featuring Super Bowl-winner Malik Jackson, Yannick Ngakoue and Marcell Dareus, backed by tackle machine Telvin Smith and lightning-quick Myles Jack, you’d think that was the strength of the unit. But it’s possible the defensive backs are even better. Trash-talking Jalen Ramsey was the definition of a shut-down corner in 2017 meaning AJ Bouye had six picks when quarterbacks tested him on the other side, while Tashaun Gipson and Barry Church provided experience and eight combined interceptions.
There’s another injured superstar returning to action in the division who’s arguably more important to their team than both Watt and Watson. Andrew Luck hasn’t thrown a pass for the Indianapolis Colts since January 2017 and there were concerns his neck injury would prompt early retirement for the first overall pick of the 2012 Draft. He’ll be throwing passes under a new head coach as Chuck Pagano made way for New England’s Josh McDaniels, who then backed out of the job, before Frank Reich accepted it. Reich was the offensive co-ordinator of the Super Bowl champion Eagles and his playcalling wizardry could spell an exciting new chapter for face of the franchise, Luck.
