Looking at the recent history of the AFC South makes it easy to envision the Tennessee Titans winning the division, if only because they have a new head coach.
Brian Callahan takes over in Nashville after five seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals, and the past couple of seasons suggest he may not have to wait long for something to celebrate.
Doug Pederson capped the 2022 regular season, his first leading the Jacksonville Jaguars, with a win against the Titans that wrested the AFC South title away from Tennessee. The Jaguars returned a fumble in the final minutes of that home victory.
Last season, DeMeco Ryans, the Houston Texans’ fifth head coach in four years, teamed up with rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud to win the division by a game over the Jaguars and the Indianapolis Colts.
Along the way, the Titans went from two-time division champs to losers of 18 of 24, costing coach Mike Vrabel his job and leading to Callahan’s hire. At least one NFL team with a first-year coach has reached the playoffs every year since the 2006 season, and the Titans are the AFC South’s only team with a new coach.