Margin ball: Routs rapidly on the rise

The NFL has been highlighting the big number of late comebacks, overtimes and last-minute finishes this season.

There also has been a increase in blowouts — with last week one of the most lopsided the league has seen in years.

The Bengals, Patriots, Giants, Titans, Buccaneers and Cardinals all won by at least 22 points Sunday as more than half of the games that day were blowouts.

There have been 21 games so far decided by more than 21 points, tied for the second-most since the merger through seven weeks. Only the 2009 season had more with 23. The NFL averaged less than 13 of these blowouts in the first seven weeks in the last six seasons.

The six games decided by at least 22 points Sunday marked just the third time that has happened on a single day in the last 100 years, with the others coming on Oct. 25, 2009, and Sept. 7, 1986.

The average margin of victory Sunday was 20 points, marking the third day since the merger when at least four games were played and the average margin of victory was at least 20 points.

When it comes to nail-biters, there have been 24 contests decided by a score in the final minute, 11 OT games and 29 wins by teams that trailed at some point in the fourth quarter.

Turnaround teams

Half of the division leaders are teams that didn’t make the playoffs in 2020, led by the NFL’s sole remaining undefeated team in the NFC West-leading Cardinals (7-0). They last made the postseason in 2015.

The AFC North-leading Bengals (5-2) also haven’t made the playoffs since 2015, and finished last in the division the previous three years. In 16 of the last 18 seasons, a team has gone from last to first.

The droughts for two other division leaders are slightly shorter, with the AFC West-leading Raiders seeking their first playoff bid since 2016 and the NFC East-leading Cowboys (5-1) eyeing a return for the first time since 2018. At least two teams have won their divisions the season after missing the playoffs in 17 of the last 18 years.

Streaking

The Cardinals and Packers head into their Thursday night game on impressive streaks. The Cardinals have won seven straight, while the Packers have won six in a row since a season-opening loss to the Saints.

This marks the first time since 2018 when the Rams played the Saints that both teams entered on winning streaks of at least six games. The Saints won that game, but lost the rematch in the NFC title game that season.

The Saints won 10 straight after losing their opener that season. The Packers are chasing that with six straight, becoming the 11th team since the merger to following a season-opening loss with at least six straight wins.

The Dolphins and Texans are going the other direction with six straight losses after winning in Week 1, becoming the 24th and 25th teams to do that since the merger. The only other time in the last 33 seasons that two teams did that came in 2003, with the Lions and Falcons.

Chasing history

Rookie receiver Ja’Marr Chase is doing his best to settle the debate about whether the Bengals made the right choice to draft him fifth instead of an offensive lineman. The 21-year-old Chase had eight catches for 201 yards and a TD last week against the Ravens, becoming the second-youngest player to record a 200-yard receiving game. Mike Evans did it ay age 21 years, 87 days old — 150 days younger than Chase.