AFC South First-Quarter Grades
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are receiving a B+ grade. This team has surprised everyone. Stroud leads the discussion with his impressive play. It’s crazy to see what a competent quarterback can do for a struggling franchise. Since the quarterback play has improved, so has the offense. Stroud now has two favorable targets with Nico Collins and Tank Dell. The run game needs to improve, but the Texans’ offense has vastly improved compared to just last season. The defense has improved as well under Demeco Ryans. The unit has held two out of four opponents under twenty points this season.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are receiving a C grade. The offense has been underwhelming and the defense has been okay, not great. The offense of the Jaguars has suffered from underwhelming offensive line play and lackluster playcalling. This unit needs to step it up, especially to provide some support for Trevor Lawrance. At times this unit can look alright, but if they want to be taken seriously they need to take their play to the next level. Defensively, the team has been alright. They are currently ranked 17th in the league. Thankfully for this group, they are coming off a dominant performance against Atlanta which they hope to build off of.
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are receiving a B- grade. Offensively, they have been a fun bunch to watch. This unit is led by Anthony Richardson, he’s looked exciting so far. His passing games needs to develop, once that comes along he can potentially take this offense to an elite level. I’ve liked what I’ve seen from the run game too. Zach Moss has stepped up due to Jonathan Taylor’s absence and he’s made the most of his opportunity. I expect this offense to be even more explosive with Jonathan Taylor now being active off the PUP list. Defensively, this team has been underwhelming. The unit is currently ranked 29th out of the entire league. They are greatly missing Shaquille Leonard at linebacker in that second unit of the defense. Overall, I think the Colt’s grade will improve, they just need more consistency on both sides of the football.
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are receiving a C+ grade. This team is the hardest to evaluate throughout the entire division, they are the definition of inconsistency. One week they win, one week they don’t. Offensively this team has underwhelmed me. They rank 28th in the league overall. Ryan Tannehill has been bad, he only has 2 touchdowns and has 4 interceptions. Not great from the veteran. The run game hasn’t been stellar either, Derrick Henry has struggled up till last weekend against the Bengals. I don’t see much changing with this unit, they just have too many holes, specifically the offensive line. The Titan’s defense has looked solid for the positions they have been in. In almost every game, this unit is playing from behind or knows they will not be getting much offensive support. I will cut them some slack just due to that. Currently, they are ranked 12th overall in the league. If this team wants to win, this defense must continue to step up week in and week out.
