The AFC South is “unpredictable” but are the Houston Texans still favorites?

It’s been a crazy offseason for everyone in the NFL. Some teams have improved. Some teams got worse. Worse yet, some teams may have stayed the same. The Houston Texans are certainly one of those teams. We hope they fall into the first category, but we need to see how things play out to really know.

The Texans have made big moves, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility to believe that they are not only the favorites in the AFC South, but also for a deep playoff run in 2025. So it’s not shocking to see certain media names. as the team to beat in their division for the upcoming season.

One of these media, Pro Football Focus (PFF), estimates that the Texans will win the AFC South in 2024. A feat which, if they achieve it, will make them consecutive champions. It’s not an easy thing to do. PFF goes on to explain why the Texans win the division, saying:

“”AFC SOUTH: HOUSTON TEXANS
The Texans enter the summer months as favorites to win the AFC South after going 10-7 in CJ Stroud and DeMeco Ryans’ first season in town.

Starting in Week 8, they went 7-4 and ranked top 20 in virtually every offensive and defensive category as a team. It feels like this roster has also improved a lot this offseason, with additions such as Stefon Diggs, Danielle Hunter, Azeez Al-Shaair, Joe Mixon and Denico Autry.

This division is always extremely unpredictable – as evidenced by the Texans’ victory last year – so don’t count out the Colts or Jaguars. But the Texans came out on top last year and became even more talented this offseason, so they’re the team we have the most confidence in.

Calling the AFC South “unpredictable” is perhaps the most accurate thing anyone can say. Some divisions, like the AFC North, have four teams that could all win the crown. Other divisions, like the AFC East, have a clear favorite in the Buffalo Bills, but the Miami Dolphins could definitely take the crown, as could the New York Jets.

The AFC West belongs to the Kansas City Chiefs until someone can knock them down a notch or two. But the AFC South? As much as we want to believe that the Texans are firmly in control of the division, we can’t say for certain that that is the case. The Jacksonville Jaguars narrowly lost the division last year, and the Indianapolis Colts almost won the division with a backup quarterback.

Both teams have seemingly improved this offseason, but are they better than the Texans? This is something we will discover as the season progresses.