This year's AFC North is the first division in NFL history to have every team two or more games above .500 through the first 10-plus games of a season, per ESPN Stats & Info.
The Cincinnati Bengals lead the way at 6-3-1, followed by the 7-4 Pittsburgh Steelers, with the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens tied at 6-4 in third/last place.
Cincinnati's .650 winning percentage narrowly edges out Pittsburgh's .636 mark as the Steelers enter their long-awaited bye week.
Things are so close that the Bengals can move from sole possession of first place to sole possession of last place in Week 12 alone.
Cincinnati's winning percentage would drop to .591 with a loss to the Houston Texans, while both the Ravens and Browns can improve to .636 if they beat the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons, respectively.
All three teams are on the road, and while that may sound like a blessing for the Steelers, the AFC North has largely built up its collective 25-15-1 record by beating up on the weak South divisions in both conferences.
The AFC North is a remarkable 8-1-1 in games against the NFC South, with an 8-4 advantage over the AFC South.
Both South divisions have also struggled in contests against the other divisions, while the AFC North has thus far played just three combined games against the AFC West and AFC East, with a 1-2 record to show for it.
The final five games between the AFC North and AFC West/East will all have wild-card implications, and they should go a long way toward determining the true strength of the North.
Meanwhile, the NFC West actually has a slightly better winning percentage entering Week 12 with a 25-15-0 combined record (.625), narrowly edging the AFC North's 25-15-1 (.622).
from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1uwrcp6
via IFTTT November 19, 2014 at 08:24AM
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