The final game of the season between the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans to decide the AFC South was a nail-biter. The Colts took an early 3-0 lead but two touchdowns from Texans quarterback C.J.Stroud saw his team edge out a slender 23-19 victory to win the division for the first time since 2019. Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin still hasn’t forgotten the heartbreaking defeat and is looking for some payback in 2024.
During a recent episode of the Green Light with Chris Long podcast, Franklin opened up about the battle for the AFC South and who he sees as the Colts biggest rivals.
“It really be Houston. I’m not going to lie to you, I like C.J., man, I support all our young brothers at quarterback, but C.J., he done said a lot of wild stuff to me in our run-ins…I need to see that boy again,” said Franklin referring to his previous encounters with Stroud.
Stroud seems to save his best for the Colts. The rookie quarterback put up 648 yards and threw four touchdowns against Indianapolis last season. The Colts and Texans split last years series 1-1 and Franklin made it a point to mention that Stroud is yet to defeat Indianapolis’ young quarterback Anthony Richardson, who was injured for the season finale.
“I have to remind him as well that he’s never beaten Anthony,” added Franklin.
Richardson looks healthy to go for next season and the dual-threat quarterback could provide some problems from the Texans.
The battle for the AFC South is heating up with all four teams adding some key pieces during the offseason to bulk up their rosters. The Texans have added Pro Bowlers Joe Mixon and Stefon Diggs as they look to repeat next season, but expect the Colts, Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars to have a say in a fiercely competitive division.
