Make it make sense. That's what I find myself saying after watching the action unfold in the AFC week after week, especially lately. The Steelers can't lose despite getting outgained in every game. The Ravens can't hold onto a lead. The Jets can't score. The Broncos just beat the Chiefs and Bills. Buffalo and Las Vegas have the same record. The Chargers can't seem to win no matter how much they score.
The list goes on and on. Here are 15 crazy facts (courtesy of myself and CBS Sports Research) about the action-packed AFC this season.
1. Crowded playoff picture: There are 14 AFC teams with at least four wins, tied for the most in a conference through Week 10 since 1970 (AFC had 14 in 2002 as well).
2. AFC North just wins: Every team in the AFC North has a winning record. No division has ever had every team make the playoffs. The last division with four playoff teams was the 1998 AFC East.
3. Pittsburgh finds a way: The Steelers have the best record in NFL history (6-3) by a team outgained in nine straight games within a season.
4. Ravens can't hold a lead: Baltimore had led in the final two minutes of every game this season, but sit at 7-3. The Ravens are the 10th team since 2000 to lead in the final two minutes in each of their first 10 games. The other nine teams were 89-1.
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5. Browns don't need a QB: The Browns are 6-3 despite owning the worst passer rating in the NFL. Only one team since 1970 had a better record through Week 10 despite owning the worst passer rating in the NFL. That was the 2015 Super Bowl champion Broncos.
6. Bengals and Browns left out: If the season ended today, two Super Bowl hopefuls -- the Bengals and Browns -- would not be in the playoffs. The Bills actually have the second-best score differential (+78) by any team with a .500 or worse record through 10 games all time (the 1981 Falcons were +88).
7. Bill Belichick at the bottom: You know the AFC is upside down when the Patriots have the worst record in the conference (2-8).
8. AFC East is winless: The AFC East is 0-7 in November, the only winless division this month.
9. Jets can't score: The Dolphins had more offensive touchdowns (10) in Week 3 vs. the Broncos than the Jets have all year (eight).
10. Denver has arrived: The Broncos have the longest active win streak (three) in the AFC, including wins over the Chiefs and Bills. They have the best scoring defense in the NFL since Week 6 after having the worst scoring defense from Weeks 1-5.
11. Raiders are .500: The Raiders have the same record as the Bills (5-5) and they have more wins this month under interim head coach Antonio Pierce (2-0) than the rest of the AFC East combined (0-7).
12. Charger-ing: The Chargers are 0-2 when scoring 34-plus points this year. The rest of the NFL is 34-2.
13. Chiefs' new formula: The Chiefs have the top seed in the AFC despite running their worst offense in the Patrick Mahomes era (23.1 points per game this season).
14. Stroud is a problem: A rookie (C.J. Stroud) leads the AFC in pass yards (2,626).
15. Texans are legit: The Texans have the best average strength of victory in the NFL (.565), while the Dolphins have the worst (.263).
