No. 5: Last Year’s Playoff Teams

For those who may not have noticed, two teams from this supposed “weak” division represented the AFC in the playoffs at the end of 2017. The Jaguars finished 10-6, which was good enough to win the AFC South. Side note, this slightly above-average record being good enough to win the division definitely played a part in the division’s status amongst the NFL.

Tennessee finished 9-7 and was able to squeak into the playoffs as a Wild Card and the AFC’s fourth seed, thanks to beating those same Jaguars in the season finale. As mentioned earlier, this game also completed a season sweep of the Titans over the Jaguars. It wasn’t like they were one-and-dones either that could’ve been labeled as “flukes.”

In the playoffs, The Titans shocked many by not only getting into the playoffs, but also defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in a wildly entertaining game in the Wild Card round. Quarterback Marcus Mariota had one of the all-time great and underrated playoff performances in recent memory. He threw, he caught, he even made the game-sealing block on a Derrick Henry run late in the fourth quarter.

Perhaps that Titans team is almost forgotten, due in large part to them firing head coach Mike Mularkey a couple days after their own playoff exit.

The Jaguars, on the other hand, have been the division cellar dwellers for many years. However in 2017, the Jags fought and clawed their way all the way to the AFC Championship, where they were if within a few bounces away from defeating the New England Patriots. With a dominant defense and a solid power running game, the Jaguars can easily return to the playoffs despite what some may call “inconsistent” quarterback play from Blake Bortles, to put it lightly.

For what it’s worth, this writer thinks Bortles takes an unnecessary amount of heat, but the former No. 3 overall pick is the fourth best quarterback in the division.