The Jacksonville Jaguars went 13-4 and won the AFC South title in 2025. In Week 1, they showed they remain the team to beat in the division.
While the Jags cruised to a 34-10 win over the Cleveland Browns, every other AFC South team lost in the season opener. That gives Jacksonville an early lead in the division.
Sure, there's still plenty of football left in 2026. But at least for one week, the Jaguars remain the top team in the AFC South. With this in mind, here's a division ranking after the season opener.
Post-Week 1 AFC South ranking
4. Tennesee Titans (0-1)
The Titans generated buzz when they hired Robert Saleh as their head coach early in 2026. Although his stint with the New York Jets wasn't particularly great, Saleh has overseen some pretty good defenses throughout his NFL career and was going to have intriguing pieces to work with in Nashville.
Fast forward to Week 1, though, and Tennessee proved to be the same old team, falling to Saleh's former team, the Jets.
Cam Ward was underwhelming despite the fact that Brian Daboll — who's supposed to be an offensive guru — is now his coordinator. But Ward wasn't the only Titan who failed to produce in the opener. The defense, in particular, had no answer for Geno Smith, making him look like an All-Pro quarterback despite the fact that he's coming off a disappointing stint with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Maybe the Titans will turn the corner at some point, but they remain the bottom team in the AFC South after Week 1.
3. Indianapolis Colts (0-1)
Daniel Jones had a broken fibula and later suffered an Achilles tear in 2025. Before he got hurt, the Indianapolis Colts seemed unstoppable, but once Danny Dimes was unavailable, they came crashing down. The expectation was that once he came back to the lineup in 2026, Indy would get back to being a contender. That wasn't the case, at least not in Week 1.
The Colts gave their all against the Baltimore Ravens, but it wasn't enough. Head coach Shane Steichen was overmatched, and Jones wasn't able to do much with his less-than-stellar supporting cast. The Indianapolis defense, on the other hand, had no answer for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens' offense.
Steichen is in the midst of what seems to be a make-or-break year, and if he doesn't turn things around quickly, his seat is going to get substantially hotter.
2. Houston Texans (0-1)
The Texans got into a shootout with the Buffalo Bills. Surprisingly, the Houston offense rose to the occasion until it didn't. C.J. Stroud was able to keep up with the Bills' high-octane offense, but his second fumble late in the game proved to be simply too costly to overcome. The defense, for its part, failed to contain Josh Allen, with Danielle Hunter disappearing throughout most of the matchup.
Unlike the Colts and Tennessee, though, the Texans may have a shot at turning things around. They're simply too talented to suddenly become a bottom-dweller.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0)
The Jaguars were la crème de la crème in the AFC South last year, and that hasn't changed in 2026. But unlike last season, this year's Jacksonville team is pulling no punches.
The Jags struggled to put away the lowly Arizona Cardinals and the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025 (both teams won in their 2026 season opener), but against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, they didn't take their foot off the pedal until the outcome of the game was already decided, which happened late in the third quarter.
Jacksonville built such a significant lead that Trevor Lawrence left the field in the fourth quarter. But before that, he went 18-of-23 for 245 yards with four touchdowns. It's early in the season, but No. 16 should already be in the front seat of the early MVP conversation.
On the other hand, Deshaun Watson and Browns head coach Todd Monken had no answer for the Jags' defense. Cleveland scored its only touchdown of the game in garbage time. At this rate, defensive coordinator Anthony Campanille is going to get plenty of looks for the head-coaching openings in next year's cycle. Ditto his offensive counterpart, Grant Udinski.
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