The “Black and Blue Division” is back, baby! The Vikings (5-0), Lions (4-1), Packers (4-2), and Bears (4-2), all have winning records. All are positively designed. All have a positive turnover differential. Against non-division opponents they are a combined 15-4 (.789). So far, only the Vikings and Packers have played an intra-division game. This will get interesting as the black-and-blue games become more frequent. It all starts this Sunday when the best designed team in the NFL, Detroit, meets the second-best designed team, Minnesota.

Las Vegas rolled over and played dead in a 32-13 home loss to Pittsburgh. Then they traded WR Davante Adams to the Jets. They are only less than one percent worse designed than their opponents, but they are a ghastly -10 turnovers. At 2-4, it looks like getting over 6.5 wins might be a tall order even against the third easiest schedule according to play design differential.

Baltimore won its fourth in a row and broke Washington’s four-game winning streak, 30-23. Lamar Jackson and Darrick Henry are clicking. The Ravens’ +16.45 player productivity differential is the best in the league. But the defense is not nearly what it was last year. The coverage is yielding almost 8 yards per pass attempt (QCYPA). Keeping up this pace will be hard.

By besting the Jets, 23-20, on Monday, Buffalo took control of the AFC East. HC Sean McDermott’s team is solid in all phases: play design differential (+3.53%, 8th) and turnover differential (+8, 2nd). The pass protection (-.296 yds/att) and pass rush (-.505 yds/att) and pass coverage (6.5 QCYPA) are plenty good to win the Super Bowl. The acquisition of WR Amari Cooper from the Browns should help improve the player productivity differential. With a dynamic playmaker at QB like Josh Allen, this could be the year in Buffalo if the Bills can catch a wave of turnover luck in the playoffs.