As the season unfolds, the picture becomes a little clearer, and the numbers are potentially more interesting. This week, there are three powerhouse match-ups involving a total of four first-place teams.
On Thursday night at Philadelphia, the 7-3 Commanders take on the 7-2 Eagles. On Sunday in the early window, the 7-2 Steelers host the 7-3 Ravens. Later in the afternoon, the teams with the two best record in the AFC collide in Orchard Park as the 8-2 Bills take on the undefeated (9-0) Chiefs.
This week, the Browns, Packers, Raiders, and Seahawks all return to action. Meanwhile, the Cardinals, Panthers, Giants and Buccaneers have some time to relax. As for this week’s vital statistics…
10
What do the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers, and Houston Texans all currently have in common? They are the only six teams in the AFC that currently own winning records. That means 10 teams in the conference are .500 (Broncos) or below, the other nine with at least six losses.
Keep in mind that seven teams from the AFC will reach the playoffs. Is it possible that there will be a sub .500 team make the postseason party from this conference? There’s an awfully long way to go, and it will be interesting to see if any of these clubs with a losing mark make a run?
217
The surprising Washington Commanders, already with three more wins than what they managed when they finished 4-13 in 2023, visit Philadelphia and look to cool off an Eagles’ squad that has reeled off five straight wins. Last season, Washington scored exactly 31 points in each of their meetings with the Birds, and still managed to lose both games.
Here’s quite the number! This season, the Commanders have allowed 217 points and given up 27 offensive touchdowns in 10 contests. During last season’s eight-game losing streak to close out 2023, Washington gave up a stunning 273 points and a total of 29 offensive TDs.
6
They are two of the oldest franchises in the NFL, and these days are headed in opposite directions. Then again, the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers have one thing in common when it comes to the final eight weeks of the season. They are the only two teams in the league that have yet to face a divisional rival.
That all changes on Sunday as the Bears host the Packers, and Mike Tomlin’s club welcomes the Ravens to the Steel City. Each club will be facing six divisional foes in the final eight weeks. Currently, the Bears are mired in a three-game losing streak, while the first-place Steelers have won four in a row.
27
The series dates back further, but the focal point here begins during the first season that Baltimore’s John Harbaugh’s and Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin first squared off in 2008. There has been a total of 35 meetings between the clubs, including postseason clashes in 2008, 2010, and 2014. The Steelers own a 20-15 edge the past 16 seasons, and have won seven of the last eight encounters dating back to 2020.
However, the real story of this intense rivalry has to do with the sheer competitiveness between these rivals. Amazingly, 27 of the 35 meetings have been decided by seven points—18 of those 27 games by three points or less.
3
Teams scoring at least 30 points in a game has been a topic in this weekly space. After 10 weeks, there have been a total of 152 regular-season contests, and on 66 occasions a team has scored at least 30 points. The record for teams reaching that mark is a gaudy 60-6 this season, a smidge over 90 percent.
What’s pretty distressing if you’re head coach Zac Taylor is that his 4-6 Bengals have been on the wrong side of three of those defeats. There’s the 38-33 Monday night home defeat to the Commanders (Week 3), a 41-38 setback to the visiting Ravens (Week 5), and last Thursday night’s 35-34 loss at Baltimore.