Dave John

With the Week 9 AFC games wrapped up, many division pictures continue to develop for teams across the conference.

AFC East
New England Patriots 5-3
Miami Dolphins 4-4
New York Jets 3-5
Buffalo Bills 3-5

The Patriots and Jets enjoyed a bye week as both the Bills and Dolphins fell to their opponents during Sunday’s games. The Dolphins fell short against the Indianapolis Colts by three-points, losing the game 20-23. In Houston, the Bills lost to the number one team in the AFC, the Houston Texans. The division leading Patriots had a convincing win over the St. Louis Rams. The team’s next game is at home against the Bills in a divisional game. The Patriots are currently on two-game win streak and are undefeated in the AFC East.

AFC North
Baltimore Ravens 6-2
Pittsburg Steelers 5-3
Cincinnati Bengals 3-5
Cleveland Browns 2-7

The Ravens continued to stretch their lead in the AFC North with a division match-up victory against the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers knocked off the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants, inching closer to Baltimore. The two teams from Ohio could not pull out a victory with the Cincinnati Bengals falling short against the Denver Broncos and the Cleveland Browns getting beat by the Ravens. The Browns only managed to get the lead once in the game against Baltimore, but it was short lived as Joe Flacco led the Ravens’ offense down the field to score the unit’s third touchdown. The injured Baltimore defense also did not allow a touchdown in the 25-15 victory. Next up for the division leading Ravens is a home game against the Oakland Raiders.

AFC South
Houston Texans 7-1
Indianapolis Colts 5-3
Tennessee Titans 3-6
Jacksonville Jaguars 1-7

While it was not the team’s prettiest win, the Texans continue to show they are serious Super Bowl candidates in the NFL. The AFC front-runners beat the Bills 21-9. The Colts and rookie quarterback, Andrew Luck extended the Colts’ win streak to three. The victory was also an emotional one, as head coach Chuck Pagano, who is battling leukemia, was in attendance. The Titans were trounced by the Chicago Bears, 51-20. The Titans’ offense was ineffective, turning the ball over five times. In Jacksonville, the Jaguars were also beaten in a landslide game against the Detroit Lions. The Jaguars allowed 21 unanswered points in the second-quarter and only managed to score in the fourth-quarter. The overall number-one teams in the AFC, the Houston Texans have a tough game ahead. The team will travel to Chicago to play Brian Urlacher and the tough Bears’ defense.

AFC West
Denver Broncos 5-3
San Diego Chargers 4-4
Oakland Raiders 3-5
Kansas City Chiefs 1-7

Despite throwing two interceptions, Peyton Manning and the Broncos beat the Bengals 31-23. In a divisional match-up the Chargers defeated the Chiefs. Chargers’ quarterback, Phillip Rivers threw two touchdowns and only had two incomplete passes in the team’s win over the Chiefs. Oakland fell short to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a back-and-forth game Sunday Afternoon. Raiders’ quarterback, Carson Palmer threw a costly interception late in the game, halting any chance of a comeback. With Peyton Manning continuing to make the plays he makes, the Denver Broncos look to be the most threatening team coming from the AFC West. The team will travel to Carolina next week to take on Cam Newton and the Panthers.

Quick Hits
• The Texans are undefeated against AFC teams
• The Ravens have beaten the Browns 11 consecutive times.
• The Chiefs and Jaguars are the only AFC team with one victory.
• With the Broncos, Colts and Steelers’ victories, there are four teams tied for third-place in the
AFC. (The Patriots are the fourth.)
• For the ninth-consecutive week, the top two teams in the AFC are the Houston Texans (No. 1) and the Baltimore Ravens (No. 2)