RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - JANUARY 04: Josh Hines-Allen #41 of the Jacksonville Jaguars reacts during the first quarter against the Tennessee Titans at EverBank Stadium on January 04, 2026 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) Mike Carlson
We’ve discussed offenses, now let’s look at the other side of the ball, the defenses of the AFC South.
With the Texans and Jaguars, the division boasts some of last season’s best units. But how do they fare heading into 2026?
Houston Texans
The conversation for which team boasts the NFL’s best defense comes down to the Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, and Houston Texans.
All three are both elite up front and on the back end of the defense, highlighted by elite cornerback play. The Texans have the best edge rushers in the league as the pairing of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr combined for the most pressures (176) and second-most sacks (27.0) of any duo.
The unit ranked 10th in pressure rate, but that’s alongside a very low blitz rate that ranked 28th. The run-defense may take a hit losing Tim Settle, but Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald is a stout run-defender in his own right. He provides a long-term answer at their defensive tackle spot. Logan Hall also enters, providing some further depth.
Otherwise, this is very much the same defense that terrorized offenses last season. That line, coupled with a secondary that features Derek Stingley Jr, Kamari Lassiter, and Jalen Pitre makes them as frightening as any to throw against. It’s no mystery as to why the team finished 2nd in points per game, 5th in yards per play, 2nd in EPA/Play, 1st in EPA/Pass, and 3rd in EPA/Rush.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts spent big, trading for corner Sauce Gardner in the middle of the season, in hopes of making a deep playoff push. But that didn’t come to fruition as the team lost their final seven games of the season, missing out on the playoffs entirely. Unfortunately, Indy didn’t get to see too much of Gardner either as a late season calf injury basically ended his season. The pair of Gardner and Charvarius Ward could prove to be one of the league’s better duos if they can stay healthy.
The defensive line saw players both come and go in free agency. Alongside last year’s injuries, there’s just a lot of unknowns surrounding this group. Last season’s metrics probably don’t provide as much insight as they would for other teams.
In 2025, the Colts ranked 21st in points per game, 17th in yards per play, 16th in EPA/Play, 17th in EPA/Pass, and 10th in EPA/Rush. The stars of last year’s defense were young edge-rusher Laiatu Latu and Cam Bynum. Latu collected 8.5 sacks and 61 pressures, 23 more pressures than second-most on the team. And Bynum now has seven interceptions over the last two seasons.
Jacksonville Jaguars
It would be disingenuous to discuss the Jaguars’ 2025 defense without starting with the turnovers. In total, the Jags forced 31 takeaways on the season, second-most in the NFL. The 22 interceptions were also second-most. It became almost an expectation that a takeaway or two were due on a weekly basis. And for the most part, it proved true.
Injuries to Travon Walker and Arik Armstead limited the pass-rush, leaving Josh Hines-Allen to do much of the heavy lifting. His 95 pressures ranked second in the NFL, behind Aidan Hutchinson, according to Pro Football Focus. Even so, the Jaguars struggled as a whole, collecting just 32 sacks on the season.
Despite the pass-rushing woes, the Jaguars defense still ranked 8th in points per game, 8th in yards per play, 5th in EPA/Play, 4th in EPA/Pass, and 7th in EPA/Rush. For a unit that ranked nearly dead last in every statistical category in 2024, Anthony Campanile’s influence was monumental to this defensive turnaround.
Replacing linebacker Devin Lloyd is the biggest mystery for the 2026 Jaguars. His five interceptions led the league at the position and his play was paramount to the team’s success. Can Ventrell Miller or Branson Combs fill that void?
Tennessee Titans
Titans’ fans should be excited about their defensive line entering the 2026 season. Jeffrey Simmons, Jermaine Johnson, John Franklin-Myers, T’Vondre Sweat, and Keldric Faulk make up a pretty solid unit that already performed pretty fairly last season.
The Titans ranked 13th in pressure rate, according to the NFL’s NextGenStats, and 12th in sacks with 42. The additions of linebacker Anthony Hill Jr, and DBs Alontae Taylor, Cor’Dale Flot, and Joshua Wiliams help a back seven that finished dead last in yards per pass attempt (8.2) and 29th in explosive play rate allowed (10.4%) last season.
If Johnson can return to form, the defensive line might be pretty solid. Throw in the offseason additions and new head coach Robert Saleh and there’s plenty of reason to assume this will be a much improved group in 2026.
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