Week 7 results underscored the topsy-turvy nature of the NFL. Once you think you've figured things out, a curveball makes you look silly.
Five clubs entered Sunday with a 1-5 record. Four of them came out with W's. The Bears beat the Raiders, 30-12; the Giants bested the Commanders, 14-7; the Patriots upset the Bills, 29-25; and the Broncos earned their first win in Denver under Sean Payton, 19-17, over Green Bay. Only the Cardinals remained a one-win club after Sunday, losing 20-10 in Seattle. (The 0-6 Panthers were on a bye.)
It marked the first time since Week 7, 2013, that four teams with one or fewer victories -- entering Week 7 or later -- won in the same week, per NFL Research.
I know what you're thinking: It doesn't matter -- one win, two wins, they're still not good. Well, dear friend, that's not technically true. While a team that started 1-5 has never won a Super Bowl, three of those clubs have made the playoffs.
The seventh game is the dividing line between a minuscule shot and zero historical chance. Of the 163 instances of a club being 2-5 after seven games since 1990, 10 have made the postseason (6.1%). None of the 85 1-6 teams have made the playoffs (0%).
So, while there remains a ton of digging out to do, the four 1-5 teams kept their faint hopes alive by winning Sunday -- if history offers any slight optimism.
While 1-5 teams went 4-1 on Sunday, 5-1 clubs went just 2-3 (the Chiefs and Eagles won; the Lions, Dolphins and 49ers lost). Because of course they did.
The results left the league jumbled in the middle.
Two teams (Kansas City, Philadelphia) have six wins. Two teams (Carolina, Arizona) have six losses. A whopping 30 clubs have at least two wins (second-most all-time through seven contests, behind 31 in 2002). The 28 teams with multiple wins and multiple losses after the first seven games is tied for second-most all-time (2005).
The competitive balance throughout the NFL means that, on any given week, any team can win and any lose. It also means even when everything feels darkest for a club, a couple of good weeks in a row can shine a new light.
In Week 8, can the Panthers get their first win? Will Denver finally stop its 16-game losing streak to K.C.? Who is for real in Jaguars-Steelers and Browns-Seahawks, a pair of two-loss tussles? Which New Jersey team wins the Battle of the Big Apple?
Odds are the outcomes of this Sunday will do little to clarify the haves and the have-nots. That's why we love the NFL.
