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| Was it Andrew Luck, or simply dumb luck that got Indianapolis into the playoffs last season? |
The South was a top-heavy division in 2012, with both Houston and Indianapolis qualifying for the postseason and Tennessee and Jacksonville largely serving as punchlines for some joke about stagnant franchises with no real support.
Despite all this, the top three spots in the South appear to be up for grabs in 2013. Indianapolis rode rookie quarterback Andrew Luck to a Wild Card berth last year, but are the Colts as good as their 11-5 record says, or are they a team that allowed 30 more points than they scored (yes, they are) and caught a few breaks along the way?
Houston again had one of the league's most balanced offenses and best defenses, but the Texans do have concerns in the secondary. Can newly signed safety Ed Reed stay healthy and play like the ball-hawk he was two or three years ago, or will he be an unexpected downgrade from the underrated and now departed Glover Quin?
Then there's Tennessee, a team with talent at the skill positions and a suddenly promising offensive line. A below average defense and inconsistent play from quarterback Jake Locker doomed the Titans in 2012, but we've seen quick defensive turnarounds in this division before, and Locker did show flashes in his first full season as a starter.
The Jaguars… Well, uh…. They're still in Jacksonville.
