NFL Heat Check
NFL Heat Check, Cincinnati Bengals 5-0 in Their Last 5
Published
Every NFL season has a week when the temperature map redraws itself, and this feels like one of them. Cincinnati Bengals have become the team nobody wants to see next on the schedule, while Houston Texans are hunting for anything that resembles a good night.
Who's hot
Start with Cincinnati Bengals. They have won 5 of their last 5, and they have not been sneaking past anyone: the points margin over that stretch is +57, which breaks down to about 25.2 scored and 13.8 allowed per game. That is the arithmetic of a team winning on merit, not on bounces.
Buffalo Bills are the closest thing to company at 5-0, with a +55 points margin that says the record is no fluke.
And do not sleep on Baltimore Ravens, quietly 4-1 across their last 5.
The whole league is averaging 20.8 points a game in this stretch, which makes Cincinnati Bengals outrunning that number by 4.4 per night the loudest stat on the page.
The deep freeze
At the bottom of the temperature map sit Houston Texans: 0-5 in their last 5, -44 on points margin. That is about 8.8 a game in the wrong direction, and no lineup shuffle fixes it overnight.
Philadelphia Eagles are not far behind on the misery index at 2-3.
Do not ignore the middle class, either: Minnesota Vikings (3-2) and New York Jets (2-3) sit close enough that a single hot or cold series flips their order.
The board
The top of the ledger, at a glance:
| Team | Last 10 | Points +/- |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 5-0 (5 gm) | +57 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5-0 (5 gm) | +55 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 4-1 (5 gm) | +76 |
| Chicago Bears | 3-2 (5 gm) | +31 |
| Carolina Panthers | 3-2 (5 gm) | +14 |
Worth remembering
One reading tip before you go: points margin travels better than record. A fat margin with a modest record usually means the wins are coming; the reverse usually means they are not.