Colts Have Big Opportunity to Win Weak AFC South

The Indianapolis Colts haven't attained their divisional crown since 2014, marking a massive 10-year drought from AFC South greatness. After such a long time since dominating their three-team opposition (Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans), the 2025 season is nearly a 'divisional crown or bust' type of campaign.

The Texans have claimed the last two seasons (2023-24), led by star quarterback C.J. Stroud and highly acclaimed head coach DeMeco Ryans. Despite a competitive atmosphere and good games played, Bleacher Report has no remorse for the difficulty level of the AFC South, putting it last out of eight total divisions in the NFL. Moe Moton provides the details.

"The AFC South finished with the worst cumulative record among all divisions last year," says Moton. "The Indianapolis Colts have an uninspiring quarterback battle between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones."

After discussing the Colts, Moton concludes by claiming, "The AFC South has one high-end playoff club (Texans) that must sort out uncertainties within a key position group."

Going back to Moton's comments on Indianapolis, if the Colts can't figure out their issues at starting quarterback, they might as well kiss their chances of winning the AFC South goodbye. The most important position is in flux for Shane Steichen, which doesn't bode well for the Circle City squad.

Anthony Richardson was drafted in 2023 to be the franchise quarterback but has shown almost nothing near that tag. Through his two seasons, he's seen the field for only 15 games and has 11 touchdown passes to 13 picks to pair with a completion percentage of only 50.6 (178/348 completions).

In short, Richardson can't continue this trend, or newly signed QB Daniel Jones will outright take the starting position from under the former Florida Gators playmaker. Speaking of the former New York Giants signal-caller.

Jones has 69 starts and has a horrible record leading an offense, putting up 24 wins, 44 losses, and a tie. Jones' biggest problems are getting sacked, turning over the ball, and having a rough pocket presence. The good news for Jones is, if he starts, he'll have the most talent around him he's seen.

Lastly, the defense has a new coordinator, Lou Anarumo, to lead the charge. The veteran coach also has fresh faces in his secondary, with free agent signings cornerback Charvarius Ward and safety Camryn Bynum joining to help stop opposing offenses.

If the Colts are to succeed, it isn't just on the QB conundrum, but also the stop troops to be more consistent than last year under Gus Bradley's third campaign.

The Colts have a lot to live up to in 2025, and it isn't just to make the playoffs, but also to finally take their division from the Texans. The AFC South is wide open, and this is arguably the best chance Indy has had to steal it back in some time.

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