AFC SOUTH ROUNDUP: TITANS AND JAGUARS AT THE TOP

A look around the AFC South following week seven of the 2017 NFL season.

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The AFC South race remains tight, but week seven did provide a bit more clarity. 

Division Standings:

1. Titans (4-3) (Own head to head tiebreaker against the Jaguars)
2. Jaguars (4-3)
3. Texans (3-3)
4. Colts (2-5)

Let's start from the top.

Tennessee Titans: The Titans looked to get off to a hot start in 2017, but a Marcus Mariota injury slowed their success. Mariota is back, but the Titans are struggling to score points. They struggled for the better part of their week six game against the Colts and couldn't defeat the regularly hapless Browns until overtime. The Titans don't have a perfect record or a perfect team, but they are a talented group that has found ways to win games the last two weeks. They own the head to head tiebreaker with the Jaguars after a week two win over the big cats. The Titans and the Jaguars next contest will have a huge impact on the division race.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars have been a killer every other week. They haven't won two games in a row and they haven't lost two games in a row. When they're on, they're on - each of their wins has come in true blowout fashion. The Jaguars will need to find week to week consistency with their run defense in order to become a true contender. They have the talent to achieve just that, but they've got to prove it on the field. 

Houston Texans: The Texans are coming off a week seven bye. At 3-3 they have every right to be considered a contender in the division. Despite losing Whitney Mercilus and JJ Watt for the season, the Texans have found life on the offensive side of the ball with rookie QB Deshaun Watson. Watson led the league in TD passes heading into week seven, but was passed by Carson Wentz on Monday Night. The Texans will need to rely heavily on the arm of Deshaun Watson - whether or not he can hold up for a whole season remains to be seen, but it appears the Texans are in good hands.

Indianapolis Colts: Yikes! The Colts appear destined for a top five overall pick in 2018. Without Andrew Luck the team has no identity. Jacoby Brissett has done his best but his week seven performance against the Jaguars showed just how far he is from being a strong starting QB. The rest of the team has SOME talent in certain areas, but not enough to compete. Add in the fact that they lost star rookie free safety Malik Hooker for the season and you have a recipe for a really ugly finish to 2017 for the Colts.

The division race is still wide open for the top three teams. This is going to be a fun ride!