Caleb Harris
The AFC South quickly went from being one of the worst divisions in the NFL for one of the most intriguing. Suddenly the Houston Texans are a legitimate contender, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts are borderline playoff teams with young quarterbacks, and the Tennessee Titans underwent a massive overhaul this offseason that has fans very optimistic for the future.
The Texans are the favorites to repeat as AFC South champions in 2024 thanks to the historic rookie campaign that quarterback C.J. Stroud had, but they are not a surefire choice. It’s very possible that the other three teams are asleep.
During a recent appearance on “Green Light with Chris Long” podcastColts linebacker Zaire Franklin revealed that Stroud is “feeling good” after his dominant first season and that he’s looking forward to battling him next year.
“No, because I’ve already hit them a few times,” Franklin said when asked if he had “a thing” with the Titans, via NFL.com. “It’s really Houston. I’m not going to lie to you, I like CJ, man, I support all our little brothers at quarterback, but CJ, he said a lot of crazy things to me in our disagreements. … He’s feeling good … I need to see that boy again.
The Colts and Texans split the season series in 2023, but Houston emerged victorious in the most important game – a win-and-playoff situation at the end of the regular season. In that 23-19 victory, Stroud completed 20 of 26 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns, and thus became the youngest quarterback in history. NFL history to win a playoff game.
The Colts defeated the Texans in Week 2, 31-20, but Stroud apparently forgot the final score. All he remembered was throwing for 384 yards and two touchdowns.
“Well, we were talking, and you know how the Super Bowl is on Radio Row, he had XM Radio way before I did and he was there talking about how he prepared the Colts in both games,” Franklin said. Anthony (Richardson) was like 28-7 in the second quarter, we were kind of killing you. …Yes, you threw 300 yards, but…”
In that matchup, Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson threw two touchdowns in the first quarter but left in the second with a concussion.
“I thought if this is what you consider cooking with loss, I mean, congratulations,” Franklin said. “Then I also have to remind you that he never defeated Anthony.”
This new Colts-Texans rivalry has already been fun, and with these two young quarterbacks in Richardson and Stroud, it should be for years to come. Stroud has the last laugh in 2023, but Franklin wants to make sure 2024 is different.
