AFC South Week 8 Power Rankings: Jacksonville Jaguars in control of the division
• The rest of the AFC South is lagging
• Here's a ranking of the division ahead of Week 8
The Jacksonville Jaguars are off to an encouraging start to the 2023 season. Already, they've won five games, and both their offense and their defense are clicking. Sure, there's room for improvement but this Jags team is headed in the right direction.
Meanwhile, the rest of the AFC South isn't doing as well. The Indianapolis Colts are coming off a tough loss to the Cleveland Browns while the Tennessee Titans just shipped All-Pro safety Kevin Byard to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Houston Texans, for their part, had their BYE, and are next set to face the Carolina Panthers.
So how does the AFC South look right now? Here's a ranking of the division heading into Week 8, and here's the previous one for comparison.
No. 4 team in the AFC South heading into Week 8: Tennessee Titans
Ran Carthon had his work cut out when he became the general manager of the Tennessee Titans. His predecessor, Jon Robinson, had left the roster in a state of attrition, failing to acquire building blocks in recent years. Carthon made several moves in the offseason but he also chose to keep many of the players he inherited, including quarterback Ryan Tannehill, to ensure they remained competitive in 2023.
Looking back, Carthon and the Titans should've started over instead of going for a soft rebuild. Currently, they lack an answer at quarterback and they might've signaled they're planning for the future when they traded Kevin Byard.
At 2-4, it's hard to see Tennessee making a playoff push. It's true that the Jaguars pulled it off last year but they had a much talented roster in place. At this point, it's fair to expect the Titans to clinch a top-10, if not 5, in next year's draft.