Trevor Lawerence's make or break season? | 2025 AFC South Preview

The AFC South is set to be highly competitive in 2025, with the Houston Texans as the defending champions. Spencer, James and Jiselle discuss key players and dynamics within the division, including top draft pick Cam Ward in Tennessee, Trevor Lawrence’s performance for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the uncertain quarterback situation for the Indianapolis Colts. Debates include which team will dominate, with opinions on the Texans’ offensive line strategy, the Jaguars' potential under Lawrence, and how injuries could impact the Texans' success. Predictions are also made for season rankings and playoff spots.

00:26 Trevor Lawrence: The Key to Jaguars' Success
01:44 Texans' Division Hopes and Injury Concerns
03:10 Houston Texans' Offensive Line Experiment
04:55 Predictions for the AFC South Standings
06:43 Wildcard Contenders and Fantasy Sleepers
08:02 Conclusion: Who Will Win the AFC South?

Episode Transcript

Spencer (00:00):
The A FC South is going to be absolutely insane in 2025.

(00:05):
The Houston Texans are thedefending a FC South champions.
However, we have number oneoverall pit cam ward in
Tennessee, Trevor Lawrence andthe Jacksonville Jaguars looking
to bounce back and.
Who is going to be thequarterback in Indianapolis?
James, what is going to be the Xfactor in the A FC South in
2025?

James (00:26):
You know, we make fun of Justin Herbert for the Chargers,
but I have to lay it on TrevorLawrence's arm this year.
There's no more excuses.
Yes, he is switching from coachto coach, to coach to coach.
But man, if you've been calledSunshine, the generational one,
all this, all that, dude, yougotta figure it out.
And of course you do have decentweapons around.

(00:46):
You got Brian Thomas on theoutside.
You got Travis Hunter who'sgonna play both sides.
You just signed on the defense.
Josh Hines, Allen, you know, soI think the Jacksonville Jaguars
have the perfect recipe tobecome the second best team in
this division.
'cause we can be honest, Coltsain't got no quarterbacks.
And with the Titans man, we likeCam Ward.

(01:06):
I do think they will be a sneakyfight Spence.
'cause I know you're a fan ofwhat they've added on the
weapons.
Mm-hmm.
Of Tennessee.
But deep down, I think this hasto just come down to Trevor
Lawrence's arm because there'sno way, like you were this close
to beating the chiefs in thatdivisional round.
And then now.
Being eight and three losing outand then now just not, not

(01:29):
looking like the guy who'spanned out is the number one
guy.
So in my eye it is gonna beTrevor Lawrence's arm and I
guess we'll throw a little playcalling on the side, but I think
the Jaguars have a great chancein my eye, Spence to go nine and
eight.

Spencer (01:43):
Okay.
Giselle, do you think this isthe Texans division to lose or
are you like James and you thinkthe Jaguars can take a step
forward and really compete inthe A FC South?

Jiselle (01:54):
I think that the Texans have the ability to win the A FC
South division.
The only thing that's a littlebit tricky is like James
preface, it's the JacksonvilleJaguars.
It's the fact that they now haveTravis Hunter in their arsenal.
They said that they're gonnaallow'em to play both positions.
So we'll see how that will playout in the first couple games of

(02:15):
this season.
But ultimately I'm gonna go forthe Texans.
I just pray and hope that ourkey stud players stay healthy
with the headline that brokethrough earlier today with CJ
Gardner.
I am very, very stressednonetheless.
So the only thing that, yeah,there were some conflicting

Spencer (02:32):
reports there on the timeline, but he did in fact not
tear his ACL.
We have confirmed that now.
So hopefully he gets healthyagain.

Jiselle (02:40):
Hopefully, uh, only time will tell, but that would
be the biggest issue for theTexans is if a lot of our star
players get injured like wefaced last season.

Spencer (02:50):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Me and Giselle, we are diehardHouston fans and that is what we
endured all last year waswatching our guys just go down
all year long.
This is what I'll say.
Go ahead, James.

James (03:00):
I was gonna say, Spence, I'm throwing it up to you.
Do you think this Houston Texansoffensive line would be the
reason why the Texans wouldn'twin this division again?

Spencer (03:10):
The Houston Texans are doing a science experiment in
2025.
And I'm not, excited about thisscience experiment because it is
potentially jeopardizing ourfranchise quarterback.
But the science experiment isthis, what is more important in
assembling an offensive linescheme or talent?
Because the scheme last year wasabsolutely atrocious.

(03:33):
Talent was a bit mid, but thisyear the Texans have overhauled
that offensive line and thetalent has depleted.
There's not a stud offensivelineman on that group, but they
have a new offensivecoordinator.
And if you look at all thetransactions and all the moves
that Texans have made in the offseason, it is clear to me that

(03:54):
they are pinning all of theoffensive struggles in 2024 on
Bobby Sleek who was fired.
Yeah.
Dko, Ryans and him are superclose.
Dika Ryan's gained a lot ofrespect in the locker room by
putting his personal feelingsaside and making the move to
fire Bobby sleek after twoseasons, one of which was a very
successful rookie season.

(04:15):
For CJ Stroud.
So we're gonna find out one wayor another.
I hope CJ can make it through.
And I'm hoping that the schemedoes in fact matter more than
the talent and that the Texansoffensive line can take a step
forward from the unit we sawlast year.
'cause here's the deal, if thathappens with how great this
Texans defense is with afranchise quarterback and CJ

(04:37):
Stroud, who we know is battletested, he's got a couple
playoff victories under hisbelt.
This is a team that should becontending not just to win the A
FC South, but to win the whole aFC.
They should be in thatconversation if that offensive
line takes a step forward.

Jiselle (04:51):
Mm-hmm.

Spencer (04:52):
I'm picking the Texans to win this division.
James, who you got?

James (04:57):
Give me, the Texans one.
Gimme Jaguars two.
I'm gonna go with the Titansthree at six and 11 and gimme
the Colts at last place at fiveand 12.

Spencer (05:07):
Mm-hmm.
Giselle, what about you?
How you got this division shakenout?

Jiselle (05:12):
Honestly, very similar to the both of you guys.
So I'm gonna have, in a perfectworld, Texans number one,
winning back-to-back a FC Southdivisions Coming in second gonna
be Jacksonville Jaguars.
Um, number three, I'm gonna havethe Tennessee Titans with Cam
Ward stepping into that QB oneposition.
I'm really excited to see howthat's going to prevail.

(05:32):
But not everyone is like CJStroud or Jaden McDaniels.
Okay.
Like, not everyone's gonna havea standout star stud rookie
year.
Uh, so only time will tell.
And of course the col are gonnabe dead last because Anthony
Richardson, again is having somepinky dislocation issues and I
just feel like I really likehim.

(05:52):
But he has been riddled withinjury since he has joined the
league.

Spencer (05:56):
Yep.
Yep.
Can't stay healthy.
Yeah.
I'm gonna, we're all gonna gothree for three here.
I'm also gonna take the Texans.
I think the cults do finish lastplace because whether it's
Anthony Richardson or DanielJones, I just don't think
there's enough offensivefirepower outside of Jonathan
Taylor to really carry anoffense that's gonna be
respectable this year.
I liked some of their defensivepieces and I think that could be

(06:19):
a underrated defensive unit theCols have there, but they're
gonna be terrible.
I'm not a big cam ward guy, butI do think there's some hype
there that being the firstoverall pick, he could come out
and surprise people, but evenhim himself has said in training
camp that this is a mid team.
They're mediocre at best rightnow.
So I don't think either of thoseteams are gonna be realistically

(06:40):
in the conversation for the a cplayoff hunt.
But I do think that thisdivision is going to give you
two playoff teams.
I do think the Texans are gonnawin the division.
Hopefully this year the Texanscan actually secure the second
or the third seed so they canpotentially have a home game in
the second round to finally getover the hump and make their
first a FC championship.

(07:02):
And then I also think theJacksonville Jaguars are going
to get in as a wild card team,and I do think they could end up
being a pretty highly seededwild card team.
You know James, I know you saidnine and eight.
I would put them potentially at10 and seven, just because I
think Trevor Lawrence, there'ssome weapons there that I like a
lot.
You mentioned Travis Hunter.
I'll give y'all a fantasysleeper that I've had my eye on

(07:24):
since last year, they made themove to cut Evan Ingram and let
him walk because they believe intied in Brenton Strange.
Brenton Strange.
We get strange up in here,y'all.
And he is going to be y'all.
Mark my words.
I know Travis Hunter is there,but him playing both sides of
the ball.
I don't think he realisticallyis going to play a ton of snaps.

(07:46):
I believe Brenton Strange willbe the second most targeted
player for the Jaguars in 2025.
And I think he's a talentedplayer.
He is got a connection withTrevor Lawrence, and I think
that Jaguar's defense has gotsome players on it.
They're going to sneak in theplayoffs as a wild card team in
2025.
But y'all let us know in thecomments who's winning the A FC
South in 2025.

James (08:08):
Val,