NFL: 5 teams we’d be dumb to count out as playoff contenders

Though the AFC East looks to be totally up for grabs in 2020, what could happen in the AFC South could be utterly fascinating. Unless Gardner Minshew is the second coming of 1999 Mark Brunell, the Jacksonville Jaguars are the only team in the division without much of a shot at vying for the AFC South crown. Could 2020 be the year the Indianapolis Colts host a home playoff game again?

Not since Andrew Luck carried a mediocre Colts team to a 2014 AFC Championship game has Indianapolis won the division it used to dominate. Luck wasn’t Peyton Manning and newcomer Philip Rivers isn’t Manning either. However, he is a step up from Jacoby Brissett and Brian Hoyer. With head coach Frank Reich and general manager Chris Ballard, the Colts can win big in 2020.

The Colts’ biggest challenge in the division is probably the Tennessee Titans. While Tennessee made it all the way to the AFC Championship game a season ago, the Titans haven’t won the AFC South since 2008. They are a slight regression candidate because we can’t reasonably expect quarterback Ryan Tannehill to play out of his mind like he did a season ago. The Colts will prevail.

Historically, the Colts have dominated the Titans in the AFC South. As for their toughest competition in the division all time, the Houston Texans could take a step back because of the many boneheaded moves head coach/de facto general manager Bill O’Brien has made this offseason. Even if the Colts don’t win the division, they have the feel of a Wild Card team for sure.