John Clayton: The Jaguars will win the AFC South

John Clayton recently wrote a piece for the Washington Post predicting the Jacksonville Jaguars will go from worst to first and win the AFC South title.

If NFL insider John Clayton is writing about the Jacksonville Jaguars, I certainly want to read what he has to say.

Fans of the AFC South team might want to take a glance at that Clayton, who wrote a story for the Washington Post, thinks about the Jaguars 2019 season in the division. He is jumping on the Jaguars bandwagon, prediction a worst-to-first finish in what now becomes a wide-open AFC South.

Clayton’s article came out on Tuesday, two days after Andrew Luck stunned fans with his announcement of his retirement from football and the Indianapolis. Just like everyone else who has chimed in about the decision, Clayton acknowledges it does affect all four teams within the division.

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"“No one could have predicted the stunning retirement of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck over the weekend,” Clayton writes.“After years of battling significant injuries, including the last several months of dealing with a calf injury that turned into a high-ankle sprain, Luck shocked the football world by telling the Colts he was leaving the sport at the age of 29. This announcement even topped the surprising retirements of Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson, both of whom got out of the game while they were in the primes of their career.”"

Even with the loss of Luck, which significantly diminishes the Colts’ chances of making the playoffs, there should still be some consideration that an improved Jacoby Brissett may do enough to keep this team competitive. Meanwhile, Clayton believes our team here in Florida will rise from the bottom of the fraternity to take home the division crown.

"“New quarterback Nick Foles has looked great this offseason, and his presence should enable the Jags to elevate their scoring average to 23 or 24 points per game — a big improvement from the 15.3 points per game they scored last year with Blake Bortles at the helm. Foles will benefit from the fact that running back Leonard Fournette is back to running well,” he adds."

What I like most about the Jaguars having watched them in practice is the diversity of the offense and the balance that could return the unit to its 2017 form. Two-tight end sets. A power running game. The belief in the deep pass. A return of a beat-up and punctured offensive line.

But that’s not all Clayton is excited about. The guys on the other side of the ball are licking their chops at the start of the new season.

"“The defense is loaded once again, and in particular it should be effective at getting to opposing quarterbacks. It helps that both the Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans have problems in pass protection,” Clayton writes. “Perhaps most importantly, Jacksonville should be much better in close games this year. The Jaguars were 2-6 last season in games decided by eight points or less.”"

Also, take into consideration that Houston running back Lamar Miller is gone for the season and Jadeveon Clowney will be likely traded and the second-best team in the division from last season, the Texans, have issues of their own in other areas.

The key to this offense is whether Foles, who throws the prettiest spiral Jaguars fans have ever seen, can remain consistent for 16 games. If he can and the other pieces to the puzzle remain intact, then the prediction by Clayton may hold true.