Blake Bortles and the improved Jacksonville Jaguars pay nearly 20:1 to win the AFC South. (Photo credit: Keith Allison / Foter / CC BY-SA)
The Indianapolis Colts are the largest favourite on this year’s NFL division odds, and for good reason. Indy has won this division 9 of the past 12 seasons (the first seven had something to do with a guy named Peyton Manning), and there haven’t been three .500-or-better teams in the AFC South since 2009.
With big favourites come big underdogs, however. Are any of them worth the price on the 2015 AFC South betting odds? Let’s take a look.
Indianapolis
Over the past few seasons, Andrew Luck has gone from making the playoffs to winning his first playoff game to reaching the AFC Championship Game. Now the question is, are the Colts good enough for him to take one more step in 2015?
Offensively, Indy is poised to set off some fireworks. They’ve upgraded at RB with Frank Gore (even though he’s old, it’s an upgrade) and added former Texans star Andre Johnson and rookie Phillip Dorsett to the receiving corps. The one Indy weakness on offence appears to be on the offensive line.
After being embarrassed by New England in the AFC Championship, the Colts have made some much-needed improvements on defence as well. Trent Cole is a good addition to the defensive line, where Indy hopes he can complement Robert Mathis to provide a fierce pass rush. Inside linebacker and the secondary are still question marks, but if the Colts can sack opposing QBs before they throw the ball, it might not matter.
Despite all of its success last season, Indianapolis has not been given a difficult schedule at all. Its first five opponents didn’t make the playoffs last season, and the Colts will face just four post-season teams in the entire season. Forget about just winning the division. As long as they keep Andrew Luck healthy, it’s probably wiser to take the Colts to win the AFC (+400 odds at Pinnacle Sports as of early July ) than laying -450 on the AFC South betting odds.
Houston
The Texans looked more like their old selves last season, rebounding from a disastrous 2013 season (2-14) to narrowly miss the playoffs with a 9-7 record.
Houston seems capable of similar things this year, with a star running back (Arian Foster), a fierce pass rush (J.J. Watt and, if he’s healthy, Jadeveon Clowney), and an improved rush defence. Veteran star WR Andre Johnson is gone, but promising young DeAndre Hopkins is ready to fill the void.
However, the Texans have some serious question marks at the most important position: QB. Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer appear to be their two best options, but it’s unclear whether either is capable of being a regular starter in the NFL.
Houston has an easy schedule, with the most difficult games being home to New England, at the Panthers and Bengals, and the home-and-home divisional series with Indy. The Texans’ defence and run game should keep them in most games, but the lack of a proven QB will likely cost Houston a chance at the division.
Jacksonville
The Jags have been absolutely dreadful over the past few seasons, winning an average of 2.5 games per year since 2010. Could this be the year things turn around?
It certainly appears that way. The Jags have a promising young QB in Blake Bortles, an improved offensive line, a new pass catcher in Julius Thomas and a cast of young WR. Defensively, Jacksonville has also patched some holes, improving its secondary and linebacker corps. The big weakness on their team is an apparent lack of a pass rush.
The Jags will start the year with four tough games – facing the Panthers, Dolphins, Patriots and Colts – but their schedule will get much easier after that. At nearly 20:1 on the AFC South betting odds, it’s not as silly as it may seem to sprinkle a little on Jacksonville to win it.
Tennessee
Things went off the rails last year in the Music City, so much so that the Titans supplanted Jacksonville as the worst in the AFC South with a 2-14 record.
Fortunately for Tennessee, that meant high draft picks, and the Titans have used them to address their anemic offence. Highly-touted QB Marcus Mariota (Oregon) and rookie WR Dorial Green-Beckham have tons of potential, though the offensive line is still abysmal. On defence, Tennessee appears to have improved its pass rush and secondary, but this team has a long way to go after surrendering 27.1 points per game last season.
The Titans’ future may be bright, but even with an easy schedule (the Titans could very well open 2-0, since their first two games are against the Buccaneers and Browns), the future is still a couple of years away in Tennessee.
2015 AFC South Betting Odds At Pinnacle Sports
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