The AFC South is the worst division in the National Football League, and it really isn’t particularly close right now. In fact, they might be the worst division we have seen in the National Football League in quite some time. It’s right on par with the 2020 NFC East that saw the 7-9 Washington Football Team claim it as well as the 2010 NFC West which the Seattle Seahawks won at 7-9 as well.
Before the season, the two presumptive favorites in this division were the Indianapolis Colts after trading for Matt Ryan from the Falcons as well as the two-time defending AFC South champion Tennessee Titans. There wasn’t a clear consensus pick for the winner, but certainly a defined two tiers that saw the Colts and Titans on top, and the Jaguars and Texans on the bottom.
However, three weeks into the season, I believe that power balance has flipped. While the Texans are in fact still the Texans, the Titans have looked horrible and despite a fluky win against Kansas City, the 1-1-1 Colts have not looked good either. The Jaguars however, with new head coach Doug Pederson, appear to be turning a corner.
After the Urban Meyer disaster last season, the start of Trevor Lawrence’s career, and really the entire Jaguars franchise, got completely derailed. In the hiring of a new coach, Jacksonville’s ownership went with a guy with NFL head coaching experience as well as a Super Bowl pedigree in Pederson, who lifted the Lombardi with the Eagles in 2017. The Lawrence-Pederson combination is off to a fantastic start three games in.
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Lawrence’s first road win of his career came this past weekend on a 38-10 beatdown of one of the AFC’s best teams in the Los Angeles Chargers. Now having the Jaguars at 2-1 and atop the division, Lawrence is finally beginning to look like the quarterback that Jacksonville hoped they were getting when they selected him first overall in last year’s draft.
Trevor Lawrence dropping dimes in SoFi 🤩
(via @Jaguars)pic.twitter.com/rbNQc7vgBx
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 25, 2022
Trevor Lawrence is putting on a clinic vs the Chargers today. Absolute dime (and phenomenal catch) 🎯 pic.twitter.com/GIBbPEgPku
— ClemsonSportsNetwork (@ClemsonSportNet) September 25, 2022
Is Lawrence’s sudden development going to lead Jacksonville back to the playoffs for the first time since 2017? It remains to be seen, but even if it doesn’t happen this year, the Jaguars appear to have knocked it out of the park both with the drafting of their franchise quarterback as well as try number two of hiring the man to coach him. Jaguars fans should be thrilled about the direction of this franchise right now.
