Heading into Week 10, three AFC North teams had six wins on the season.
If that seems pretty rare, well, it is. It’s the first time that’s happened since the divisions realigned in 2002, according to the Elias Sports Bureau via ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley.
So how do three teams from the same division all have good records? They play the NFC West. Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Cincinnati are 5-1 against the NFC West, with Cincy’s loss to the 49ers being the only slip-up so far.
Everyone assumes the Bengals will fall off in the second half, but they may only need one win in four games against Baltimore and Pittsburgh to get to ten victories for the season.
Cincy still has St. Louis, Arizona, and Cleveland on the schedule. The Bengals have taken care of bad teams this year, and that trio is bad.
Perhaps the AFC North could send three teams to the playoffs.