The AFC South had a previous reputation of being one of the weaker divisions in the NFL but after three of the four teams finished with winning records in 2023, it appeared as though the tide might be turning. Well, four weeks into the season that doesn't appear to be the case.
The Houston Texans are leading the division with ease sitting with a 3-1 record after four games. In second place are the Indianapolis Colts with a 2-2 record and the other two teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans, are both winless. The Titans have a game on Monday night against Miami, however, so they could move up to 1-3 with a win on Monday.
While the quarterbacks are not the only reason for why the teams have the record they have, the signal-callers have played a part in it. With four games (three for the Titans) in the books, let's rank the starting quarterbacks in the AFC South from worst to first.
4. Will Levis
An 0-3 start might be the least of Will Levis' problems in Tennessee. If he and the Titans don't start winning some games, it might be easier for Brian Callahan and the rest of the Titans coaching staff to decide he's not the answer at quarterback and turn to Mason Rudolph for the rest of the season.
Through three games, Levis has thrown for 579 yards, four touchdowns, and five interceptions while rushing for an additional 86 yards and has fumbled three times. If Levis doesn't start to turn his season around, his mark on the NFL might very well be in Week 1 when he threw what ended up being the game-sealing pick and he fell to his knees during the play. Levis also had his head coach asking him "Hey, what the f*** are you doing?" after a clueless giveaway in Week 2.
Levis is the no-brainer pick for the bottom spot in these rankings. Texans fans sure are enjoying watching the disaster play out though so hopefully Levis continues to stay in there and make hilarious mistakes.
3. Anthony Richardson
Do the Colts have a quarterback controversy on their hands? Before Anthony Richardson was injured in the Week 4 win over Pittsburgh, he had been leading the league with six interceptions on the year and playing very up and down football in his second year in the league.
Through four games (well, three and a half), Richardson threw for 654 yards, three touchdowns, and six interceptions while rushing for 141 yards and another score on the ground. Richardson has some great moments (that Week 1 touchdown bomb he had against the Texans) but he also makes a lot of dumb mistakes and turns the ball over too much.
The Colts had to put Joe Flacco in after Richardson was injured and he went on to throw for 168 yards and two touchdowns to help Indy lock down the win. The Colts gain very little by playing Flacco but if they're starting to have doubts that Richardson is the answer, maybe they'd keep putting the 39-year-old out there while their former fourth overall pick observes from the sidelines.
2. Trevor Lawrence
Trevor Lawrence is finally starting to earn criticism around the league after he's continued to underwhelm in the early weeks of his fourth season. The Jaguars are 0-4 and Lawrence just hasn't looked like the former number one overall pick or even the guy who suited up for the Jags in 2022.
Lawrence definitely has better numbers than the previous two guys listed on these rankings but that's not really saying much. He should have better numbers than those guys because he was not only drafted first overall but the Jags just paid him a whole lot of money to be their franchise quarterback.
Through four games, Lawrence has thrown for 729 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception while adding 61 yards with his legs. He only has the one pick but it feels as though his numbers should be better overall. Lawrence should be the best quarterback in the AFC South but that is simply not the case right now.
1. C.J. Stroud
This isn't even a contest. There's only one quarterback in the AFC South who has thrown for over 1,000 yards through four games and it's none other than Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud. The Texans signal-caller has thrown for 1,054 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions and has added 41 rushing yards to his résumé.
The Texans are 3-1 and while it's not solely because of Stroud, he's played a major part in it. On Sunday against the Jaguars, Stroud threw for a season-high 345 yards while also tossing two touchdowns. His performance included a gutsy game-winning drive that concluded with a touchdown pass to Dare Ogunbowale to win the Texans the game and drop Jacksonville to 0-4.
Maybe Trevor Lawrence will start to play better as the season goes on and give Stroud a run for his money in the top spot, but that moment is not now. Stroud is the unquestioned best quarterback in the AFC South and it's not even close.