The AFC South remains one of the NFL’s most wide-open divisions heading into the 2020-21 season.
The division has been decided by exactly one game in every year since 2015 (tiebreaker in 2016-17 between Houston and Tennessee). Huge offseason moves have been the story thus far, including the Colts’ trade for DeForest Buckner and the Texans swapping DeAndre Hopkins for David Johnson and Brandin Cooks.
Jeff Rickard asked NBC Sports’ Chris Simms how he sees the AFC South shaping up this year on The Fan Morning Show with Jeff & Big Joe:
“Holy cow, what a division,” Simms said. “What the hell to make of the Houston Texans with some of the moves they’ve made? Jacksonville is in rebuild mode completely. I look at the Colts and the Titans as being the teams in totality that have the least amount of questions for me.”
Fair enough. The Colts and Titans certainly have less to figure out. But who does Simms think is the best player in the division?
“Houston has DeShaun Watson and he’s a game-changer. He’s an equalizer. I don’t think Houston is as good as the Colts or the Tennessee Titans, but I think he’s the best player in the division. He can make magic happen and I think that’s where that conversation gets really interesting.”
Now for the question we really want the answer to: Who does Simms see walking away as the AFC South champion?
“At the end of the day, if you made me pick one right now, I’m gonna ride with the Colts this year. I think the Colts are the team to beat, I really do…Let’s remember, Parris Campbell really didn’t get a chance last year to kinda get his feet underneath him. If he gets in the mix at wide receiver, I think he’s got superstar ability. I look at the Colts and the Titans fighting it out closely to the end and the Colts ultimately prevailing in the AFC South.”
Quite a bold prediction from Mr. Simms, but one that Colts fans everywhere should embrace with open arms.
