NFL Streak Watch, Cincinnati Bengals's Run Hits 5

Every result in NFL feeds a streak somewhere, and a few of them have now grown big enough to deserve names. Everything below comes straight off the results; nothing fancier than counting.

There are ten clubs carrying streaks of three games or longer at the moment, which tells you something about how streaky this stretch of the calendar has been.

The win-column crowd

The longest active run belongs to Cincinnati Bengals: five consecutive wins. Nobody stays hot forever, but while it lasts, every night has looked like a rerun of the same comfortable movie.

Behind them, Buffalo Bills have quietly won 5 in a row.

Add San Francisco 49ers to the list too, 4 in a row.

Stuck in the barrel

The skid to watch belongs to Houston Texans, losers of five in a row. Runs like this always end eventually; the only question is how much damage gets done before they do.

Miami Dolphins have dropped 5 in a row themselves.

Indianapolis Colts have lost 4 straight themselves, in case anyone at the cold end needed company.

At a glance

For the record, here is everything currently running at three-plus:

The fine print

The longest run on the board sits at 5 games, and runs that size have a way of bending a whole week's storylines around them, every broadcast, every pregame note, every nervous manager quote.

A streak is history with good posture: impressive to look at, honest about the past, silent about tonight. Markets know this, which is why streaking teams get funny prices.