In 2023, the AFC South was supposed to be a formality.
The Jacksonville Jaguars were going to roll to a division title, likely to be wrapped up by Thanksgiving. And, at 8–3, that appeared to be the case.
Then, the Jaguars won just one of their final six games, missed the playoffs, and the Houston Texans stunned the NFL to win the division title behind rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. The Indianapolis Colts finished 9–8, losing on the final weekend of the season to the Texans with a chance to win the division.