The AFC South has stumbled out of the gate, but the standings are still tight enough that one good week could change the picture fast.
Houston, the team most people pegged as the division favorite, is sitting at 0-2 after a brutal start. The Texans dropped a shootout to the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, then followed it up with a 20-6 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
C.J. Stroud threw for 353 yards with no interceptions in that game, but Houston still managed only six points.
That kind of start usually puts a team in a deep hole, though the Texans are still in decent shape inside the division.
Jacksonville is the current leader at 1-1, but the Jaguars took a 20-13 loss to the Denver Broncos this week. Their decision to move up to No. 2 overall in the 2025 draft remains under the microscope.
Jacksonville sent picks No. 5, 36 and 126 in the 2025 draft, along with pick No. 24 in the 2026 draft, to get there. Travis Hunter, who was expected to be a two-way star, has one catch for eight yards this season and has not recorded an interception in his NFL career.
Indianapolis is also 0-2, and the opening stretch has been a grind. The Colts opened against the Baltimore Ravens at home in Week 1, then went on the road and pushed the Kansas City Chiefs to overtime before falling 33-30.
Tennessee was never expected to be a real AFC South contender, but the Titans could make the division race look a lot tighter if they beat the New York Giants this week. If that happens, they would be no worse than a game behind the division leader.
In Other News...
Marcus Mariota Is Suddenly Back In A Spot Titans Fans Know Well
Week 2 brought a familiar kind of quarterback subplot for former Titans fans to track, and Marcus Mariota was right in the middle of it. With Washingtons starter sidelined by injury, Mariota stepped in for the Commanders and found himself back in the role Tennessee supporters know so well, a veteran backup suddenly asked to steady an offense on short notice.
Around him, a few other former Titans also surfaced in different spots across the league, from TVondre Sweat making defensive contributions for the Jets to Kristian Fulton grabbing an interception for the Chiefs despite the penalty issues that followed. But Mariotas situation carried the most immediate intrigue for anyone who remembers his Tennessee days, because it put him back under center in the same kind of unexpected moment that has defined so much of his career. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Fans Facing An Uncomfortable Nissan Stadium Reality Again
The Titans are still dealing with a familiar Nissan Stadium problem: too many empty seats and too many visiting fans. In the recent game against the Philadelphia Eagles, plenty of Tennessee supporters noticed how visible the road crowd was, a reminder that even with a new coaching staff and some on-field progress, the home-field edge has not really returned.
Pricing trends are only adding to the uneasy atmosphere, with ticket costs expected to slide further as interest lags. Lifelong fans are hoping that changes on the field eventually show up in the stands too, with the upcoming meeting against the Houston Texans carrying a little extra weight as another chance for Nissan Stadium to feel more like home. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Add Another Boom Or Bust Twist To Their QB Plan
The Jets have taken another flier at quarterback, this time adding former Titans starter Will Levis to the practice squad after moving on from Bailey Zappe. Levis lands in New York with a familiar label attached to him as a high-variance arm, and he brings the kind of experience that can be useful even in a deep reserve role.
Levis missed the entire 2025 season because of a shoulder injury, but he still has 21 NFL starts on his rsum and now slots in as the Jets third-string quarterback behind Geno Smith and rookie Cade Klubnik. For Tennessee fans, it is another reminder of how quickly the league moves on from a young passer, and for the Jets it is one more layer of insurance in a quarterback room that already has a clear starter and a developmental understudy. [Read more 🡒]