If you were told before this season’s opening kickoff that only one AFC division would sport at least a .500 total record amongst its four teams going into the Sunday afternoon of Week 6, wouldn’t you assume in an almost reflexive manner that it would most certainly have to be either the AFC North or AFC East?

No one would blame you for thinking that. Unfortunately, however, you’d be sadly mistaken.

The AFC North, boasting mainstays such as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, actually have just a 9-11 combined mark at this point in the season. The AFC East, with the defending conference champion New England Patriots and three other tough-nosed teams right behind them in the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, also have a total of nine wins and eleven losses on the year.

Then there is the AFC West, which, at 7-12, finds itself underachieving yet again, meaning that the only AFC division that currently is not under the .500 plateau – and also has the best record in the conference – is the AFC South at 10-10.

A late win by the Tennessee Titans over the Steelers on Thursday night is the only reason that the AFC South sits in this current position, as opposed to the AFC North, but they’ll take the recognition nonetheless.

If you’re going to talk AFC South and success, the Houston Texans have to be mentioned immediately. Better yet, the Texans should always be mentioned when discussing successful teams in general. After all, they are only one of two teams – the Atlanta Falcons being the other – who is still undefeated at 5-0.

Responsible for half of their division’s overall wins, the Texans are not surprised at all by what they’ve accomplished thus far. They did receive a scare from the New York Jets last Monday night when they were able to hold them off late for a 23-17 victory, but that and the 31-25 Week 3 win in Denver against Peyton Manning and the Broncos have been the only two matchups to have caused the Texans to break a true sweat.

With Arian Foster maintaining his status as one of the top running backs in the league, a defensive unit that ranks fourth overall with only 73 total points surrendered and the third-best scoring offense at 29.8 points per game, the Texans’ Super Bowl aspirations are, and will continue to be, more than realistic.

Then there are the Indianapolis Colts, who, conversely to the Texans, actually have surprised many, including their own fans, with a 2-2 record going into Week 6. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Indianapolis with changes at general manager, head coach, and quarterback in Ryan Grigson, Chuck Pagano and rookie Andrew Luck, respectively.

Pagano will not coach for the rest of the season after being diagnosed with a form of adult leukemia during the team’s Week 4 bye, but expect the Colts every week to fight as hard as they can just for him. That never-say-die attitude manifested itself into the ultimate storybook come-from-behind win last Sunday over the Green Bay Packers, which owner Jim Irsay guaranteed after initially announcing Pagano’s illness to the media.

Luck has shown fantastic poise late in games, and the Colts could actually be sitting pretty at 3-1 had it not been for an 80 yard game-winning touchdown pass by Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert towards the end of the teams’ Week 3 showdown. If Indianapolis continues to play the way that they have demonstrated they’re capable of, they could definitely find themselves competing for one of the conference’s two Wild Card slots.

Finally, there are the Titans and Jaguars, who are struggling just as much as they were expected to. Despite pulling off a very inspirational victory over the Steelers this past Thursday, the Titans find themselves at just 2-4 and in next-to-last place in the AFC South. Second year quarterback Jake Locker is set to return next week after injuring his shoulder in a Week 4 loss to the Texans and sitting out the last game. Locker has only thrown for less than 800 yards in four starts this season.

The Jaguars (1-4) aren’t giving the people of Jacksonville any reason to pray that their team won’t pick up and leave for Los Angeles within the next few years, as has been rumored. Jacksonville ranks dead last in scoring and 24^th in points allowed. There have been those occurrences where Gabbert shows flashes of brilliance, but more often than not he looks overmatches out there.

Neither the Jaguars nor the Titans should be .500 teams at season’s conclusion, but make sure to keep a close eye on what the Texans and Colts are up to. Those two make the AFC South worth watching.

Image Courtesy of  daveynin

The article The AFC South and Where It Stands appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The AFC North was undoubtedly one of the most competitive divisions in the National Football League last season with three teams making it to the playoffs. With only the AFC West seemingly more competitive, where literally any of the four teams could win the division, expect a lot of focus this season to be on the AFC North.

Whilst both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens remain powerhouses in the AFC, and the Cincinnati Bengals have continued to grow and improve, it is hard to see a repeat of these three teams making it to playoffs again this year due to them facing a much harder schedule than last year. That being said, anything other than at least two teams qualifying from this division seems fairly inconceivable at the moment given the relative strengths of the other AFC divisions.

Given how competitive the division will be this season, there is perhaps only one outcome which can be guaranteed at this point – the Cleveland Browns will finish bottom of the division. Sorry Cleveland fans but it’s an inescapable fact that the Browns are a considerable way behind their divisional rivals.

Things aren’t all doom and gloom for the Browns however as they took strides in the offseason towards putting themselves into contention in the coming years. The arrivals of Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden potentially solve their running back and quarterback issues, whilst Josh Gordon has impressed in preseason and could form a productive combination with Greg Little at the wide receiver position. Don’t expect immediate results, but things are progressing in Cleveland and there is a distant light at the end of the tunnel.

The Ravens, reigning AFC North champions, will have a difficult task to retain their status, but should have enough about them to see of the challenges from the Steelers and Bengals. Baltimore have taken big steps towards reinvigorating their defense and if you look beyond defensive talismans Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, then they boast one of the youngest defenses in the NFL, expelling the belief the Ravens are an ageing defense.

The loss of Terrell Suggs for the majority of the season will be difficult to cope with as it remains to be seen whether or not top draft pick Courtney Upshaw will be able contribute to the pass rush in a similar fashion, leaving an uncharacteristic amount of pressure on the Baltimore offense. Fortunately for Ravens’ fans, Flacco and the offense seem to be flourishing with their new found responsibility. Preseason isn’t always the best measure of teams ability, but Flacco looked in scintillating form in the new no-huddle offense, finding targets with ease as Baltimore boast perhaps the best receiving corps in their short history.

The most intriguing battle within the division is likely going to be who grabs the second spot, and likely make it to the playoffs, the veteran Steelers or the youthful Bengals. Pittsburgh are probably current favorites, despite the losses of both James Farrior and Aaron Smith from last season’s roster and the holdout in preseason of star wide receiver Mike Wallace. They have a wealth of veteran experience and have a track record of being able to win when adversities seem piled up against them. They have also strengthened their weakest area, the offensive line, with the additions of David DeCastro and Mike Adams in the draft, something which should be beneficial for Ben Roethlisberger and Pittsburgh’s passing game.

Cincinnati on the other hand have improved significantly over the offseason, specifically bolstering their offensive line and secondary with Kevin Zeitler and Dre Kirkpatrick respectively, whilst second year players Andy Dalton and A. J. Green have improved not only as individuals, but also as a combination. They were also proficient in free agency, making the most of their cap space, bringing in the likes of Terence Newman and BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

The resolution of who finishes higher, Pittsburgh or Cincinnati, will likely come down to the two matches between the sides, and as exciting as it would be to see the Bengals upset the stranglehold the Steelers and Ravens have on the AFC North, the experience that Pittsburgh have will likely be enough to see off Cincinnati. The Ravens have taken steps towards injecting youth into what was seen as an ageing team, Pittsburgh will seriously have to consider doing likewise if they are to maintain their status as an elite team and keep above Cincinnati in the AFC North hierarchy.

Image Courtesy of  Baltimore Ravens
Phot Credit : Shawn Hubbard

The article AFC North – Ravens To Soar, Steelers To Struggle appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.