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.

As of this morning, ten different teams are riding runs of three or more in one direction or the other, a busy board by any standard.

The win-column crowd

Cincinnati Bengals have won five straight, the longest active run in the league. Winning streaks change how a club carries itself, every bounce feels earned, every close game feels like it belongs to them until somebody proves otherwise.

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

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

Going the wrong way

On the other side of the ledger, Houston Texans have dropped five straight. Losing streaks carry their own gravity, the pressing starts, the bounces stop cooperating, and close games keep finding the same ending.

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:

Worth remembering

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.

None of these runs are forever. Enjoy them as stories, count them honestly, and remember the results table starts blank again tomorrow.

The schedule cooperates, too, Cincinnati Bengals face Pittsburgh Steelers next, so this story gets its next chapter almost immediately.