AFC South
The 2002 NFL season marked the birth of a new divisional structure. The league expanded to thirty-two teams and needed to reorganize its four conferences into eight divisions. Before this change, the Houston Texans did not exist as an active franchise. The Indianapolis Colts belonged to the AFC East. The Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars were members of the AFC Central. The newly created AFC South formed from two former AFC Central teams, one AFC East team, and an expansion team. This realignment meant that no member had played more than eighteen seasons in their current cities at the time of establishment. The Houston Texans joined the division as an expansion team. The Indianapolis Colts moved from the AFC East. While the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans joined from the AFC Central, now known as the AFC North.
The history of these franchises involves significant movement before they settled into the AFC South. The Colts had played in Baltimore until the end of the 1983 season. They relocated to Indianapolis for the 1984 season. The Titans had been based in Houston where they were known as the Oilers until 1996. The organization moved to Nashville, Tennessee, becoming the Titans. The Jaguars commenced play in 1995 as a new franchise in Jacksonville. Despite moving or arriving recently relative to other NFL teams, all three existing franchises had won multiple division titles and wild card berths in their prior respective divisions. The Colts hold a record of 572 wins, 514 losses, and eight ties. The Titans hold a record of 480 wins, 526 losses, and six ties. The Jaguars hold a record of 210 wins, 286 losses, and no ties. The Texans made the playoffs for the first time in their ten-season existence in 2011.
In 2002, the 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 forty-two wins and twenty-two losses. This represented a .656 winning percentage. The record was previously held by the 1975 AFC Central's .643 winning percentage. 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 sixth division championship in Week 12 of the season with a win over the Houston Texans. In 2010, the Indianapolis Colts again won their division with a ten-win and six-loss record. They won their final four games, including a victory over the Jaguars that tied the records of the two teams. In 2011, the Houston Texans won their first AFC South title, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
The Colts' Super Bowl XLI victory in 2006 is the only Super Bowl win from the AFC South to date. Although the Colts have won another Super Bowl while playing in a different division and city, no team has won since 2006 within this specific grouping. The division owns the longest active Super Bowl victory drought. At least one team from each of the other seven divisions has won one of the eighteen subsequent Super Bowls. Seven divisions won seven Super Bowls between 2009 and 2015. The Colts did participate in 2009's Super Bowl XLIV but lost to the New Orleans Saints. The AFC South is also the only division with more than one team that has never played in a Super Bowl. Both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans fit this description. The Titans hold a playoff record of seventeen wins and twenty-three losses including two AFL championships as the Houston Oilers. They suffered a loss in Super Bowl XXXIV against the New York Giants.
Competitive matchups define the culture of this division through intense historical games. In Week 14 of 2011, Houston had to beat Cincinnati and New Orleans had to beat the Tennessee Titans to secure the playoffs for Houston. Houston won twenty points to nineteen and New Orleans won twenty-two to seventeen against the Titans. This gave Houston its first ever playoff spot. The Texans repeated as AFC South champions in 2012 after beating Indianapolis twenty-nine to seventeen in Week 15. The Colts would retake the AFC South division crown in 2013 by sweeping all three of its divisional opponents during the campaign. In 2014, the Colts claimed the division title by defeating the Texans in a week fifteen matchup, seventeen to ten. The Texans took over as AFC South champions in 2015 following their thirty-point win over Jacksonville in week sixteen. Houston repeated as division champions in 2016 despite finishing with matching nine-win and seven-loss records along with Tennessee. The Texans earned the automatic berth into the NFL playoffs based on finishing better against the division with five wins and one loss than the Titans who finished two wins and four losses.
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Common questions
When was the AFC South division created?
The AFC South division was created in 2002 during a league-wide realignment that expanded the NFL to thirty-two teams. This new structure formed from two former AFC Central teams, one AFC East team, and an expansion team.
Which teams make up the current AFC South division?
The four franchises in the AFC South are the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans. The Texans joined as an expansion team while the other three moved or were reorganized into this grouping before the 2002 season.
Who won the first AFC South division title in 2002?
The Tennessee Titans won the inaugural 2002 AFC South division title and advanced to the AFC Championship game. They defeated their divisional rivals to secure the top spot for that year.
What is the longest Super Bowl victory drought for any NFL division?
The AFC South holds the longest active Super Bowl victory drought among all eight divisions since its formation. No team within this specific grouping has won a Super Bowl since the Indianapolis Colts victory in 2006.
How many times have the Houston Texans won the AFC South division title?
The Houston Texans have won the AFC South division title multiple times including victories in 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2016. Their 2011 win marked the franchise's first playoff qualification after ten seasons of existence.