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The 6-6 club: Who will win the AFC South?

Troy Taormina / USA TODAY Sports

It may be the worst division in the NFL, but the AFC South is set up for the most exciting finish with four games remaining in the regular season.

After 12 games, little separates the Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, and Tennessee Titans, who all sit at 6-6.

The only tiebreaker any of the teams hold is the Colts' edge over the Titans, meaning the division crown won't likely be decided until the last week of the season.

While the Jacksonville Jaguars are already out of playoff contention, they're in perfect position to play spoiler, with games against all three other division teams in the final four weeks.

Colts

Remaining schedule: vs. Texans, at Vikings, at Raiders, vs. Jaguars

The Colts' destruction of the New York Jets in Week 13 put their season back on track and set up an all-important clash with the Texans in Week 14.

Simply put, Indy will need a lot of help to capture the division if it loses to Houston for the second time this season Sunday. Not only will the Colts effectively be two games behind Houston, they have to travel to both Minnesota and Oakland in the next two weeks.

Andrew Luck is quietly having an outstanding season and looks to be rounding into All-Pro form at the right time, but asking him to take down the league's third-best defense, then outscore Derek Carr and the explosive Raiders in back-to-back weeks is likely too much.

Even with a victory over the Texans, the Colts could still enter Week 17 needing Houston to slip against the Titans if they lose one of the two games against the Vikings and Raiders.

Indy has the division's best X-factor in Luck, but the defense - now missing D'Qwell Jackson due to suspension - needs to play its best football of the season for the Colts to come out on top.

Texans

Remaining schedule: at Colts, vs. Jaguars, vs. Bengals, at Titans

It's put-up-or-shut-up time for Brock Osweiler. While many have already written him off as a franchise quarterback, he could win some of that favor back by outdueling Luck this Sunday. It won't put the Colts to bed or seal the division for the Texans, but it would put Houston in prime position.

The Texans could then lose their next two games and still go into a Week 17 matchup versus the Titans with the division on the line, assuming Tennessee wins one or two games before Week 17 and the Colts drop off.

While the Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals at home appear to be favorable matchups, both could be trap games, especially Jacksonville. The Colts and the Titans both play the Jaguars, too, but they have the offensive firepower to take them down. Houston, however, hasn't scored more than 24 points since Week 6, and could be even less potent with Lamar Miller limited by multiple injuries.

The Texans have the division's best defense, but they're on a three-game losing skid and their offense isn't close to that of the Colts and Titans. While Houston is the slight favorite right now, it looks the most vulnerable.

Titans

Remaining schedule: vs. Broncos, at Chiefs, at Jaguars, vs. Texans

It may be a three-horse race for the AFC South crown, but that doesn't mean all three teams have an equal shot at playing in January. The Titans require a fair amount of help.

First, the Titans need the Texans to beat the Colts in Week 14. That's their first major step to making the playoffs because Indy holds the tiebreaker over them.

Next, the Titans need to find a way to take down one of the Broncos or Chiefs, with Denver the more likely candidate since the game's in Tennessee. The Titans can lose to both Denver and Kansas City and still have a shot at winning the division at 8-8, but that requires both the Colts and Texans to fall apart.

The Titans' main problem is that they need a clear lead to win the division; there's no scenario in which all three teams finish with the same record that leaves Tennessee atop the South.

Luckily, Marcus Mariota is playing out of his mind of late, having thrown 15 touchdowns to just two interceptions since Week 6. The Titans' offense might be the league's most overlooked unit. It'll face three good defenses over the last four weeks, but no offense that matches its ability to put up points.

Tennessee might be the underdog, but it has more than enough bite to seal a postseason spot.

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