Despite Injuries, Inconsistencies, Colts Still Look Like Favorites in AFC South

Somehow, some way, the Indianapolis Colts managed to get a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday. The Colts didn't have quarterback Andrew Luck or tight end Dwayne Allen. The team watched as Jacksonville attempted a potential game-winning field goal in overtime.

Yet the Colts won. 

Somehow, it didn't feel like an aberration. 

The Jaguars did what they've done so many times in the past, and came up short. The Colts did what they've done so well in the AFC South—found a way to beat a division opponent.  

Once again, it appears that the Colts are the team to beat in the AFC South.

Of course, the Jaguars don't have a legendary kicker on their roster. If they did, things might be different.

Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, for the record, seems to believe in backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

"We kind of hugged it out for a second," Vinatieri said, per ESPN.com. "He [Hasselbeck] does a great job. Watching him have the opportunity to go out there—hate saying `at his age' because he's younger than I am—but I know he wanted that."

It should seem obvious that the Colts want to be successful. It almost seems, though, that Indianapolis is destined for success—at least in 2015. Older observers probably believe this anyway. 

From Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

"

Jacksonville got a solid game from quarterback Blake Bortles (28-for-49 for 298 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions) and from rookie running back T.J. Yeldon (22 carries for 105 yards). But that wasn’t enough.

Instead, the Colts, who have dominated the division of late, remain on top. These Colts aren’t as good as they were the last few years, but they’re still good enough in the AFC South.

"

Indianapolis has not been the dominant team that some expected—not by a long shot. However, Sunday's win might just be the type of catalyst that propels yet another division-title run.

The reality is that a flawed Indianapolis team is probably good enough to win the AFC South with at least some degree of relative ease. This isn't to say that the Colts wont struggle at times during the 2015 season—they've already shown they will—but it definitely seems like the other three teams in the division are going to struggle more. 

Right now, Indianapolis is the only team in the AFC South with more than one win. The Jaguars and Houston Texans are each 1-3. The Tennessee Titans—who were on a bye this week—are 1-2. This isn't a big lead, especially this early in the season, but it speaks volumes about how things could unfold. 

	W-L	Division W-L
Indianapolis	2-2	2-0
Tennessee	1-2	0-1
Houston	1-3	0-0
Jacksonville	1-3	0-1

The Titans are rolling with rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota. The 21-year-old (109.2 passer rating) has shown a lot of promise, but he is likely to have his rookie ups and downs this season. Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles is a second-year passer (78.9 rating) that has also had intermittent struggles.

The Texans went with journeyman Brian Hoyer to start the season, but he was benched for Ryan Mallett less than four quarters into regular-season play. Mallett finished Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons with a passer rating of just 46.8. Obviously, a passer rating is never going to tell the whole story, but it doesn't seem like Mallett—and perhaps even Bortles—are an answer.

Luck has not been particularly good this season—he currently owns a passer rating of just 65.1. However, with 51 NFL starts under his belt, he's the elder statesman among the AFC South quarterbacks.

If we were talking about a different division, the quarterback position might not be quite so important. Teams like the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos have shown that they can win games with defense, a strong running game or both. 

No defense has been dominant in the AFC South this year. 

According to Pro Football Focus, the Texans are rated ninth defensively through Week 3.  The Colts are rated 18th, the Jaguars are 22nd and the Titans are fifth.

Ratings, as we all know, can be deceitful. Don't always trust a reputation. 

Of the group, the Titans are the better defensive team on paper. Yet they've already lost to the Colts and the lowly Cleveland Browns; Tennessee is the only team the Browns have beaten.

Looking past the quarterbacks and the defenses, we have to look at the team makeups. 

This might lead us to the most important aspect of the entire conversation: The Colts are 2-0 within the division. The last time Indianapolis lost a divisional game was late (Week 15) in the 2012 season. Until another divisional team steps up and proves it can best the Colts (even the broken version), it's going to be difficult to knock them off the proverbial pedestal.

This is where the talk of "ease" comes into play. The Colts are already 33 percent done notching another perfect divisional record. They've won one game without their star quarterback. If they're not going to lose without Luck, how can an AFC South team expect to beat them once he's healthy again?

Recent history tells us that no one in the division is going to go beating the Colts—apparently even with Matt Hasselbeck under center. If this means Indianapolis grabs five or six division wins, then it's hard to see them missing the playoffs.

Indianapolis' nondivision schedule isn't  easy. However, it still features the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Miami Dolphins—two one-win teams. If the Colts can manage to steal a win from a team like, say, the New Orleans Saints, the Denver Broncos or the Carolina Panthers, then an 8-8 or 9-7 record is almost guaranteed.

Is this enough to win the division? Considering the NFC South was won with a 7-8-1 record in 2014, yeah, it probably is. 

If the Colts begin to improve, they may even manage to go on a playoff run once the time comes.

Confidence is the one thing that Indianapolis does (and should) have. The team is used to winning by now—especially within the division. Even when the Colts were battling with Jacksonville, you could see a touch of confidence on the face of their players. 

Just ask a guy like Tom Brady or Troy Aikman how much confidence is worth.

If the Colts were in a hole and behind the proverbial eight ball, then it might be time to worry. However, this is a team that started 0-2 in 2014 and still reached the AFC title game. This is also a team that hasn't lost a divisional game since 2012.

As long as Indianapolis survives through this early portion of the season, the team has to be considered the rulers of the AFC South.

Players from the other three AFC South teams are free to make their case. Until someone dethrones the king, however, it's likely to be business as usual in the AFC South.