AFC South 2023 NFL Preview, Prediction & Division Winner: Remember the Titans

It is almost that time, ladies and gentlemen!

The 2023-24 NFL season is just around the corner, and boy oh boy, I cannot wait for 7 hours of Commercial-Free Football to cap off my weekends. I know you feel the same way.

Before you know it, it will be February and we will be watching one of 32 teams in the NFL hoisting the Lombardi trophy.

But let’s not get ahead off ourselves.

As the most wonderful time of the year approaches for all Football fans, here at Betting News we are going to give you everything you need going into the regular season!

• Breakdown of Each Division
• Offseason moves
• Current Betting Odds
• Divisional Prediction

So stay locked in as we dive into each division heading into the regular season!

On this page, I am going to break down the AFC South and every angle worth looking at from a football perspective but most importantly, a betting perspective.

You can get a broader look at the entire league in our NFL Divisional Breakdown piece, to look at the whole league and where to place the best bets all across the NFL.

It is also never to early to bet Week 1 of the regular season. Get in on the lines early and find out everything you need to know about Week One of the 2023-24 Regular Season right here!

Ok let’s dive into one of the more interesting divisions in the NFL, the AFC South!

AFC South Preview

Betting Odds

All odds available at these widely available Sportsbooks.

Before we dive into the team previews, let’s first explore the current betting odds for the AFC South division winner. 

These odds are subject to change as the season progresses, but they provide you with valuable insights into each team’s chances, as they stand right now!

Odds as of July 18th, 2023 via Bovada Sportsbook

• Jacksonville Jaguars: -165
• Tennessee Titans: +330
• Indianapolis Colts: +575
• Houston Texans: +875

The Favorite

Jacksonville Jaguars 

The Jacksonville Jaguars come into the 2023 season feeling pretty good about themselves. Not only did they win only their second AFC South divisional title in 2022, they did it in style.

The Jaguars rattled off 5 games in a row to end their 2022 regular season to ensure the AFC South crown and make the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

They were then able to reach the AFC Divisional Round Game, only to lose to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Even with the disappointing playoff loss last season, the Jaguars are heading into this season with probably the highest hopes they have ever had in franchise history for a possible Super Bowl run.

Third year Quarterback Trevor Lawrence seemed to have taken ‘the next step’ last season and has blossomed into the franchise quarterback everyone in Jacksonville has been desperate for.

Or so it seems.

To help Lawrence out on offense, the Jaguars signed tight end Evan Engram to a 3 year, $41.25 million dollar contract extension after his Pro Bowl Season last year in south Florida.

They also were able to sign the talented yet controversial wide receiver Calvin Ridley to a deal after the NFL reinstated him from his year suspension for betting on sports. (Yea, Calvin likes to read Betting News too) 😉

Are the Jaguars Worth Betting?

Given the success of the Jaguars last season and the returning and added pieces of the offseason, it makes sense that the Jaguars are the betting favorite to go back to back and win the AFC South once again this year.

But for the value, -165 on Bovada for the Jaguars to win the AFC South is not a wager I am willing to take.

There are too many unproven factors about this youthful team to lay the juice to win the division. For my money, there is a better division winner bet that is worth placing for way better value.

And for that, we have to go to Music City.

The Dark Horse

Tennessee Titans

The Titans went into last season with high hopes to continue their strangle hold of the AFC South, as they had won the division back to back years prior to last season.

Things looked good half way though the season for the Titans, sitting at 7-3 and primed to win their third straight AFC South title. They then proceeded to lose 7 straight games, with the final loss being a division deciding tilt between the aforementioned Jaguars in Jacksonville.

Because of that loss, The Titans missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018 and had a lot of questions that needed to be answered. Starting in the front office.

Offseason Splashes in Nashville 

Big news came in the middle of the 2022/23 season as the Titans parted ways with General Manager Jon Robinson, which opened up  the chair at the top of the Titans organization.

After an extensive search, the Titans hired first time General Manager Ran Carthon from the San Fransisco 49ers organization to steer the ship in Tennessee back towards the playoffs and beyond.

And it didn’t take long for Carthon to make a massive splash.

BREAKING: Titans signing WR DeAndre Hopkins to a 2-year, $26M deal worth up to $32M with incentives. (via @rapsheet) pic.twitter.com/0k1KLaYQHU

— NFL (@NFL) July 16, 2023

I could see the Titans dropping to +300 or even lower by the time the season starts so if you want to ride with the Two Tone blue, I would suggest hopping on this number now.

No time like the present.

AFC South Division Winner Best Bet

Titans to Win AFC South (+330) Bovada

The Other Guys

Indianapolis Colts 

This division really feels like a 2 horse race next season, with the Titans and the Jaguars seemingly being the only likely winners of this interesting division.

This season for the Indianapolis Colts feels a little bit like a look towards the future, starting with their newcomer at Quarterback, first round pick Anthony Richardson.

Colts owner Jim Irsay advocates for early usage of QB Anthony Richardson: "He has to play to get better"https://t.co/pG4jHoW4Gf pic.twitter.com/IwTkbFi29E

— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) July 10, 2023

The Colts moved on from Matt Ryan after a season to forget last year and now have a new toy to play with in the backfield in the incredibly versatile and talented Richardson.

The Colts still have a lot of talent up and down their roster but given the uncertainty at the most important position in all of sports, the Colts could struggle to compete this year.

But stud running back Jonathan Taylor is capable of changing the narrative at any moment so don’t count the Colts out completely.

For my money, there is no betting value on the boys in Indianapolis. Let’s see what happens in Indy this year. Things could no doubt get interesting very quickly.

Houston Texans

Let’s round this AFC South Preview out with the presumed bottom of the division in the boys from Houston. All eyes this season in Texas will be on the Ohio State product, number 2 overall pick, Quarterback CJ Stroud.

Not only do the Texans have to integrate a rookie quarterback into presumably a starting role out the gate, they also hired former Texans linebacker DeMeco Ryans to be their Head Coach.

There is a lot of newness about this Texans lineup, which was necessary given the state of affairs in Houston over the last few seasons.

Only up From Here in Texas?

The Texans went a paltry 3-13-1 last season and will be just looking to build a winning culture and climb back into competitiveness this season.

I believe in the abilities of Stroud to be a star in the league but it will take some time.

The Texans will probably finish last in the division once again but look for there to be some tighter games than there were last year in Houston as Stroud begins to figure out the league.

Any bet you place on the Texans to win this division would be purely fandom or just for the value. I don’t think this roster can compete  this season for the AFC South crown and is not worth a bet.