The 2018 AFC South Champion will be ???
 

Another good Stampede Blue artcile on the state of the AFC South (located here).

Bottom line?

1. The AFC South offenses besides the Colts are not scoring points.
2. None of the AFC South defenses are looking strong this season.
3. None of the AFC South QB (besides Luck) are playing well.
4. The other three teams are facing buzz-saw schedules over the next four - five weeks while the Colts had their tough part of the schedule early.

I know we sit at 2 - 5 right now (hopefully 3-5 going into the bye week) but the division is up for grabs.

And our division mates are vulnerable. If we can play anywhere as well going forward as we did against BUF (and hopefully OAK), then we have a pretty solid shot at winning divisional games.

Anyway, pretty good article.

Walk Worthy,

The Colts have 5 of 6 division games left. Win those, and 2 more, and this could be a surprise playoff team.

Jags at 9 wins. They'll be just good enough with their defense and getting back to a power running game with Hyde and Fornette coming back soon.

The Texans have stolen a few games while playing poorly. If O'Brien stops trying to force Watson to be a drop back passer they could jump back to the team that overwhelmed defenses with points last season. While I think the Colts have a surprisingly good shot at winning the South I dont' think we should be considered favorites at all.

Indianapolis Colts at 8-8.

Yes, the Jaguars beat the Patriots, but other than that they have only beaten the Giants and Jets.

The colts simply cannot lose a divisional game.

o


I believe that the Colts will either win the division, or lose it because of the loss (instead of a tie) against the Texans in the 4th game of the season.


If they beat the Raiders and the Jaguars in their next 2 contests, then back-to-back home games against the Titans and the Dolphins will be huge. I think that they need to (at a minimum) win at least 3 out of their next 4 games to keep themselves in reasonable striking distance of winning the division ........ starting the season at 1-5 will put that kind of pressure on a team, even when playing in a mediocre division such as the AFC South.


o

Currently, it looks like the Texans. Watson, and that D could eke out a division win. Watt and Clowney are wrecking the D line and Watson scrambles and throws up prayers to Hopkins, who can catch anything.
On the flip side, Bortles is looking like shit and that Jax D isn't as opportunistic or dominant as last year. Also, Mariota continues to underwhelm and that team is a 3-4 mess.
I don't think the Colts have a chance of winning the division this season, bar a late season run, but that's ok. If the young guys keep developing and Ballard has another good draft we should be front runners for the division next year.

We have a shot, but the injuries bother me. I'm thinking Houston will win it, but it's not a strong conviction by any means.

Watson threw 5 TDs yesterday. The Texans are starting to roll and have a head start. We could win the division but it won't be easy.

I looked at the Texans remaining schedule and based on that, I think they will win it, likely get to at least 9 wins.

Broncos
Redskins
Titans
Browns
Colts
Jets
Jaguars
Eagles


If they go even 4-4 with that fairly easy schedule they are at nine wins

Colts would have to win 6 of 8 to 9 wins, a tall order for a team currently 3-5 and with a suspect D.

Yeah, I shot from the hip saying it would be the Jags. Texans take it by 2 games.

If the Colts are going to win the division they have to beat the Texans. They'll lose to the Redskins and Eagles, likely. They also typically drop games they should win in division. I could easily see that schedule having 5 or 6 losses for them. The only near sure thing wins I see there are Cleveland and the Jets.

Watson could also get hurt. Either way, they're the favorite at the moment. Colts odds would be much better had they won one of CIN/HOU/PHI.

Will you stop beating that fucking dead horse?

o



It's not a "dead horse." It's a difference of a full game in the standings.

The Texans, with their current 5-game winning streak and 5-3 overall record are looking like the biggest obstacle to the Colts winning the divisions right now.

As it stands now, the Colts need to make up 2 games on them in the second half of the season in order to prevail.



That said, the Colts themselves need to put everything that has happened in the first 8 games of the season in the rear-view mirror and have tunnel vision from here on out. That game could very well come into play in the final 2 weeks of the season, but the Colts themselves cannot worry about that. They need to concern themselves about getting to 4-5 in their next game ........ and if they should do so, then be solely concerned with getting to 5-5 after that.



o

You've explained your position over and over and over again, so yes it's beating a dead fucking horse.

I will never fault my coach for playing to win the game, neither will Irsay and neither will the players on the sideline.

That's my position...so let's not bring this shit up anymore, as it's water under the bridge.

o



I've also made my position clear that I continue to completely support Frank Reich overall, regardless of that ill-fated decision.

The Colts are more than twice as better off with Reich than they were with Pagano, and I believe that Reich's intestinal fortitude as a player (engineering the 2 biggest comebacks ever in college and pro football history 8 years apart in 1984 and 1992) is showing loud and clear as the commander of this ship.

And the players (and Jim Irsay) would have supported Reich, regardless of whatever decision that he made in the game (as they should.)



So yes, now we can stop talking about it.



o

o


(2 AND-A-HALF MONTHS LATER)


The Colts lost the battle (the division title), but they won the war (the playoff game against the Texans.)

And as another poster pointed out, the Colts may actually be better off not having won the division ........ if they had won it, the playoff game that they just won would have been played in Indianapolis, but they would be traveling to New England this coming week instead of to Kansas City ........ and I feel better about our chances at KC instead of at New England for this particular round.


The only bad thing about settling for the #6 seed instead of getting the division title (and the #3 seed) is that there is no chance that the Colts will be hosting the AFC Championship game should they make it that far ........ if you recall, when the Colts won the 2006 season Super Bowl, they hosted the AFC Championship game against the Patriots because both teams upset the top 2 seeds in the divisional playoff round (the Colts beat the #2 seed Baltimore Ravens, and the Patriots beat the #1 seed San Diego Chargers.)

o

"Bad thing?"

Personally, I relish the thought of going into the Patriots home and punching Josh McDaniels in his dick.

I'd enjoy punching tommy terrific's dick, too, but I suspect it will be stored in Giselle's purse for safekeeping.

o


I would much rather have the game be played in Indianapolis, regardless of who the opponent is ........ maximizing the Colts' chances of making it to the Super Bowl is a thousand times more important to me than settling any type of personal grudge.

Also, that hypothetical AFC Championship game (had the Colts won their division and been the #3 seed) would have been against the Chargers at home or the Chiefs on the road, not the Patriots.

o

They could play them in Tom Brady's living room; I don't care. Colts will be ferocious against the Pats if that is a matchup occurring this January. We won't eliminate them. We will annihilate them.

Won't matter. Chargers have this game in the bag.

I hope not. I want that game so bad, it hurts.

o

I care.

Most significantly, I'm pretty sure that the Colts players would much rather play their postseason games in Indianapolis than on the road if given a choice.

o

Agree... I would also have much rather NOT lost to the Jags 0-6.... lost to the eagles by 4, lost to the Texans by 3.

There is a great deal of experience gained by the level of adversity this team is continually asked to overcome, and that has a great deal of value as well.

Rivers has never beaten them. Chargers have the better team. See if they can get the monkey off their back.

To answer the original question, The 2018 AFC South Champion will be...knocked out of the playoffs by the runner-up, Indianapolis Colts.

Why must you play with my emotions like this?

Did not see that ass-kicking coming. That was a pathetic performance given all the talent on that Chargers roster.

Agreed, I guess they were just tired. Denver/Baltimore/New England is A LOT of travel for a West Coast team in three consecutive weeks.

They really should’ve stayed back east after the Baltimore game. Hell, they could’ve stayed at my place for all I care if that would’ve helped.

I thought the Patriots played a maddeningly, frustratingly awesome game. I fucking hate this team.

Ugh......hate those bastards. Did you guys see the photo that's floating around of Tommy boy giving the head referee a huge bro hug before the start of the game? Not even trying to pretend anymore that they get preferential treatment. Not that it impacted the chargers crappy play but it's still a giant F/U.

I don't get that some say the South is a weak division. 3 teams had winning seasons.

lazy narrative.

o


It evolved enormously within a single season.


The Texans started out at 0-3, and finished at 11-5.

The Colts started out at 1-5, and finished at 10-6.


Even the Titans had a big turnaround ........ they started out at 3-4, and were 9-6 heading into the winner-take-all season finale against the Colts.

o

Who are you kidding? You're not going to kick Tom Terrific out?