It seemed implausible entering the season, but could the AFC perhaps go through the winner of the South?
That division’s co-leaders, the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars, both sit at 4-1 after impressive home wins. That matches Buffalo for the top record in the conference, with the Pittsburgh Steelers – 3-1 coming off their bye week – not far behind.
Kansas City is 2-3 but just a game back of Los Angeles and Denver for an AFC West title that’s still very much in play, even if a bye or No. 2 seed no longer may be.
One year after earning 11 victories by one score, the Chiefs fell to 0-3 in that category Monday. Lawrence rushed for the game-winning 1-yard touchdown from a few yards behind that spot, however, collecting himself (and shockingly avoiding KC defenders) after tripping under center with the pivotal snap.
“We have the guys and we’ve executed at certain points in games and looked really good, but we crush ourselves with penalties and mistakes,” Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “We’ve done that to ourselves all season long. It’s been one guy here or there. In this league, it’s so close that those [moments] change games.
“We’ve got to be better. We’ve lost too many games already.”
Baltimore (1-4) and Houston (2-3), division winners in 2024, know the feeling. Ditto for Cincinnati (2-3), which fell just short of a playoff berth last season but had lofty aspirations for a turnaround.
While the Ravens (Lamar Jackson) and Bengals (Joe Burrow) infamously are without the services of their injured star signal-callers, defense frequently has abandoned those AFC North outposts, too.
Baltimore is the only team in the Super Bowl era to surrender 37-plus points in four of its first five games.
Jacksonville, meanwhile, scored a season-high 31 points on Monday, with Lawrence accounting for 275 yards of offense and three total touchdowns, including two on the ground.
The Jaguars, who won’t encounter the Colts until Indianapolis visits in Week 14, will face tests from NFC contenders Seattle and the Los Angeles Rams, both 3-2, ahead of their bye.
Jacksonville will meet the Rams in its traditional London game and figures to know lots more about its playoff outlook by the trans-Atlantic plane ride home.
“We have to take it week by week and obviously we think we’re a good team,” Lawrence said, “so we believe that. But you don’t listen to the outside noise and not many of those people were around at the beginning of the season.
“So, it’s really about the guys in that locker room. The staff, coach, all the people that put the work in, and we have that confidence and belief. That’s what matters.”
Separation is important, too, of course. In this season’s AFC, there’s a different crop getting used to the feeling.
