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For all the talk of parity in the NFL, there really hasn’t been much of it in the AFC during the last decade. The decade has belonged to the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have combined to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl in six of the last eight years.
Maybe they’ll still rally to make it seven of nine before the 2009 season is finished. But for the first time in years, they’re both looking up at someone else in the standings after a shocking weekend that saw nothing short of a seismic shift of power in the AFC.
In the span of just a few hours, the Steelers were upset at home by the upstart Cincinnati Bengals and then the Patriots were stunned late by the undefeated Indianapolis Colts. The losses themselves weren’t of Earth-rattling proportions, but what they represented certainly was.
Right now, the Colts (9-0) and the Bengals (7-2) are clearly the teams to beat in the AFC.
The Colts? OK. But the Bengals? It’s hard to believe many outside of Cincinnati saw that coming, just like nobody would have guessed a Bengals revival would be led by an outcast running back and a no-name defense. But that’s exactly what happened as former Bear Cedric Benson rushed for 859 yards before injuring his hip Sunday, and Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has turned his unit into an aggressive machine that’s giving up only 16.3 points per game (second best in the league, just behind Indy).
The defense has been impressive all year, though few have noticed. But this unit announced its presence with authority in Pittsburgh by holding the Steelers to just 226 yards in an 18-12 win. The Bengals were all over quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (four sacks, 20 of 40 passing, 174 yards, one interception) and they never let running back Rashard Mendenhall (13 carries, 36 yards) out of the gate. That’s quite a feat against what still is the ninth-best offense in the league.
Overall, it’s quite a feat for a Bengals team that, other than Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco, is hardly filled with household names. That’s especially true for a defense that probably could walk through downtown Cincinnati without drawing attention to itself.
“We’re kind of like that first Iron Man (movie) where he shoots his way out of the cave,” Bengals linebacker Brandon Johnson told reporters after Sunday’s game. “We’ve got a lot of pieces that nobody wanted, but when we all come together, we’re a hell of a machine.”
The Colts, meanwhile, always figured to be a contender — even when rookie coach Jim Caldwell replaced the retired Tony Dungy. They’ve been living dangerously, though, with a non-existent rushing attack (86 yards per game, 29th in the NFL) and a host of key injuries, including a big one to safety Bob Sanders (out for the season with a torn biceps), their defensive MVP.
That’s why nobody was shocked when the Patriots, who were starting to get on a roll of late, were leading by 17 points in the fourth quarter of the latest installment of the “Game of the Year” on Sunday night. The stunning part came next. And it wasn’t just the 21-point rally by Indy to win, 35-34. It was the stunning decision by Pats genius/coach Bill Belichick to go for it on fourth-and-2 from his own 28 with just over two minutes remaining, followed by a game-winning touchdown pass from Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne with 13 seconds left.
A lot can still happen, of course, but it seems the Colts — with a two-game lead over the Bengals and a three-game lead over several others with seven to play — are a lock to get a first-round bye and at least one home playoff game, probably two. The Bengals lead the Steelers by only a game, so their situation is a little more precarious, but they do hold the tiebreaker edge after sweeping both the Steelers and Ravens, making Cincinnati the odds-on favorite in the AFC North.
Whether either team can hold serve and hold off the battle-tested Steelers and Patriots in the playoffs remains to be seen. The Bengals’ inexperience could be costly in the postseason, and despite all their experience, the Colts have melted in the playoffs before.
But for now, one snapshot moment with less than half a season to play, who thought the Bengals and Colts would have pushed the Patriots and defending-champion Steelers to the side of the stage? Maybe this isn’t a sign of the parity that has infected the NFC, which has sent eight different teams to the Super Bowl in the last eight years. Maybe the shift in power will last only a few weeks.
Even if it does, the shift was a big one. And for the first time in a while, the Patriots and Steelers will both have an uphill battle in an attempt to reclaim their throne.
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