NFL Power Rankings: Division rankings after Week 3

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Tennessee Titans tight end Taylor Thompson (84) reaches for a pass against Cincinnati Bengals safety Reggie Nelson (20) in the first half at Paul Brown Stadium. Cincinnati defeated Tennessee 33-7. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /

8) AFC South

The AFC South occupies the basement slot again this week, and after a 1-3 mark, that is no surprise. The Jacksonville Jaguars are running neck and neck with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders for “worst team in the NFL” honors, and according to point differential, Jacksonville is the leader in the clubhouse by a significant margin. Of course, the Jaguars technically did not “hurt” the AFC South with their blowout loss to Indianapolis, but if we thought the Colts were fairly good before this, a win over Jacksonville was a virtual given.

Elsewhere, both the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans suffered bad losses, eliminating some of their previous optimism. Houston was beaten soundly by a previously winless Giants team, albeit in a tough road environment, while Tennessee was utterly bludgeoned by the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals. Neither loss is disastrous from the perspective of the standings or perception, but some pundits have been on both the Texans and Titans as potential sleepers, and Week 3 did not help that case.

The AFC South remains a group without a clear playoff team, and with the Jaguars around to bring things down, things aren’t fantastic.

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