AFC South
| Conference | American Football Conference |
|---|---|
| League | National Football League |
| Sport | American football |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Teams | |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Championships | |
| Most recent AFC South champion(s) | Houston Texans (3rd title) |
| Most AFC South titles |
Indianapolis Colts (9 titles) |
The AFC South is a division of the National Football League (NFL)'s American Football Conference (AFC). It was created before the 2002 season when the league realigned divisions after expanding to 32 teams. Since its creation, the division has had the same four members: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans.
Before the 2002 season, the Texans did not exist, the Colts belonged to the AFC East, and the Titans and Jaguars were members of the AFC Central. Indianapolis, Tennessee, and Jacksonville all won multiple division titles and wild card berths in their prior respective divisions.
Entering 2016, the Colts hold a 494–433–7 record and a 22–23 playoff record with two NFL league crowns, four Super Bowl appearances and two wins. The Titans hold a record of 404–442–6 with a playoff record of 14–19, including two AFL championships and the loss in Super Bowl XXXIV. The Jaguars hold a 152–184 record and a 5–6 playoff record. The Texans made the playoffs for the first time in their ten-season existence in 2011 and hold an 97–127 record and a 2–3 playoff record.
The Colts' Super Bowl XLI victory in 2006 is the only Super Bowl win from the AFC South to date, and the division owns the longest active Super Bowl victory drought. The last seven Super Bowls were each won by one team in the other seven divisions.
History
2000s
When the NFL realigned for the 2002 schedule, the newly created AFC South was formed from two former AFC Central teams, an AFC East team, and an expansion team. Its inaugural season was won by the Tennessee Titans who went on to play in the AFC Championship game. For the next five years, the Indianapolis Colts won the division including their victory in Super Bowl XLI. In 2007, the AFC South had the best division record of all time based on the combined 42–22 (.656 winning percentage). The record was previously held by the 1975 AFC Central's .643 winning percentage.[1] In 2008, the Tennessee Titans won the division, ending Indianapolis' five year streak of division titles. However, in 2009, the Colts would storm back to win their 6th division championship in Week 12 of the season with a win over the Houston Texans and a loss by the Jacksonville Jaguars to the San Francisco 49ers.
2010s
In 2010, the Colts again won their division by winning their final four games, including a victory over the Jaguars that tied the records of the two teams. The Colts controlled their own destiny, with Jacksonville losing its last three games of the season. In 2011, the Houston Texans won their first AFC South title, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. In Week 14, Houston had to beat Cincinnati and New Orleans had to beat the Titans to secure the playoffs for Houston. Houston won 20–19 and New Orleans won 22–17 against the Titans, giving Houston their first ever playoff spot. The Texans had won their first Playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals 31-10 but then lost to the Baltimore Ravens 20-13 in the Divisional game. The Texans repeated as AFC South champions in 2012 as well after beating Indianapolis 29-17 in Week 15 that season. In the playoffs, the Texans beat the Bengals once again, 19-13, but lost to the New England Patriots 41-28 during the Divisional Weekend. The Colts would retake the AFC South division crown in 2013. Indianapolis swept all three of its divisional opponents during the 2013 campaign to reclaim its first division title since 2010. Again in 2014, the Colts claimed the division title by defeating the Texans in a week 15 matchup, 17-10. The Texans took over as AFC South champions in 2015 following their 30-6 win over Jacksonville in week 16.
Division lineups
Place cursor over year for division champ or Super Bowl team.
| AFC South Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Years | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Houston Texans | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indianapolis Colts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jacksonville Jaguars | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee Titans | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Division Won Super Bowl Division Won AFC Championship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Division champions
# Team earned first-round bye. * Season in progress.
Wild Card qualifiers
| Season | Team | Record | Playoff Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Indianapolis Colts | 10–6–0 | Lost AFC Wild Card Playoffs |
| 2003 | Tennessee Titans | 12–4–0 | Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs |
| 2005 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 12–4–0 | Lost AFC Wild Card Playoffs |
| 2007 | Jacksonville Jaguars Tennessee Titans | 11–5–0 10–6–0 | Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs Lost AFC Wild Card Playoffs |
| 2008 | Indianapolis Colts | 12–4–0 | Lost AFC Wild Card Playoffs |
| 2012 | Indianapolis Colts | 11–5–0 | Lost AFC Wild Card Playoffs |
Team playoff berths
Stats updated through 2015 season.
Total playoff berths as members of the AFC South
In the sortable table below, teams can be ordered by name, number of division wins, playoff berths, or titles. To change, click button to right of heading.
| Team | Division Titles | Playoff Berths | AFC Championships | Super Bowl Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 9 | 12 | 2 | 1 |
| Houston Texans | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Tennessee Titans | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Total playoff berths in team history
In the sortable table below, teams can be ordered by name, number of division wins, playoff berths, or titles. To change, click button to right of heading.
| Team | Division Titles | Playoff Berths | Conference Championships | NFL/AFL1 Titles | Super Bowl Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 16 | 27 | 7 | 3 | 2 |
| Houston Texans | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tennessee Titans | 9 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
1 Colts won NFL Titles as the Baltimore Colts. Titans won AFL Titles as the Houston Oilers.
Season results
| (#) | Denotes team that won the Super Bowl |
| (#) | Denotes team that won the AFC Championship |
| (#) | Denotes team that qualified for the NFL Playoffs |
| Season | Team (record) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |
| ||||
| 2002 | (2) Tennessee (11–5) | (5) Indianapolis (10–6) | Jacksonville (6–10) | Houston (4–12) |
| 2003 | (3) Indianapolis (12–4) | (5) Tennessee (12–4) | Jacksonville (5–11) | Houston (5–11) |
| 2004 | (3) Indianapolis (12–4) | Jacksonville (9–7) | Houston (7–9) | Tennessee (5–11) |
| 2005 | (1) Indianapolis (14–2) | (5) Jacksonville (12–4) | Tennessee (4–12) | Houston (2–14) |
| 2006 | (3) Indianapolis (12–4) | Tennessee (8–8) | Jacksonville (8–8) | Houston (6–10) |
| 2007 | (2) Indianapolis (13–3) | (5) Jacksonville (11–5) | (6) Tennessee (10–6) | Houston (8–8) |
| 2008 | (1) Tennessee (13–3) | (5) Indianapolis (12–4) | Houston (8–8) | Jacksonville (5–11) |
| 2009 | (1) Indianapolis (14–2) | Houston (9–7) | Tennessee (8–8) | Jacksonville (7–9) |
| 2010 | (3) Indianapolis (10–6) | Jacksonville (8–8) | Houston (6–10) | Tennessee (6–10) |
| 2011 | (3) Houston (10–6) | Tennessee (9–7) | Jacksonville (5–11) | Indianapolis (2–14) |
| 2012 | (3) Houston (12–4) | (5) Indianapolis (11–5) | Tennessee (6–10) | Jacksonville (2–14) |
| 2013 | (4) Indianapolis (11–5) | Tennessee (7–9) | Jacksonville (4–12) | Houston (2–14) |
| 2014 | (4) Indianapolis (11–5) | Houston (9–7) | Jacksonville (3–13) | Tennessee (2–14) |
| 2015 | (4) Houston (9–7) | Indianapolis (8–8) | Jacksonville (5–11) | Tennessee (3–13) |
References
- ↑ "Cold, Hard Football Facts.com". Archived from the original on 27 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-31.