For the unbeaten Indianapolis Colts (10-0), the beat goes on. They are the first NFL team since the 1998 Broncos to go 10-0, they struggled to outscore the Bengals in a shootout last Sunday and now they face a Pittsburgh Steelers team (7-3) that expects the return of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
The path to perfection will not be easy. Over the next four weeks, they will play the Jaguars, the Chargers and the Seahawks. So as quarterback Peyton Manning said, "You don't have time to think about the record. The games are going to keep getting better and better."
They have not been bad so far. When the Bengals tried to stop the run first, Manning kept throwing to his horde of gifted receivers. The Colts gained 300 yards in the first half alone, and Manning finished the game with 365 yards and three touchdowns passing.
Despite the Bengals' 37 points, the Colts have a tough defense. It starts with the ends: Robert Mathis with 10 sacks and Dwight Freeney with seven. This week, their target is almost sure to be Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers quarterback, who has missed three games after arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.
The Steelers need a healthy Ben. One backup, Charlie Batch, has a broken right hand and the other, Tommy Maddox, was immobile and suffered six sacks in last week's overtime loss to the Ravens.
Over the last two seasons, the Steelers have been 18-1 when Roethlisberger starts, 2-3 when Maddox starts. Against the Ravens' battered defense, the Steelers scored only one touchdown and gained only 70 yards rushing, a pittance for a team that thrives on pounding the ball.
The Steelers will surely make the playoffs, but coach Bill Cowher said, "Right now it's a six-game season. That's how we have to look at it."
First, they must stop the Colts' seemingly unstoppable offense. As Chad Johnson, the Bengals' receiver, said after last week's game, "Looking at that offense from the sideline, it's unfair."
Giants (7-3) at Seattle (8-2)
After the Giants had finished off the Eagles, the Seahawks struggled to beat the lowly 49ers on a field goal with 28 seconds left. Still, the Seahawks have won six straight, they have the NFC's best record and they can clinch a division title if they win and the Rams lose to the Texans.
Coach Tom Coughlin of the Giants said of the playoff scramble, "It's right back where it was X amount of years ago when week in and week out everyone's scratching, fighting and biting just to try and get ahead of the other guy."
Chicago (7-3) at Tampa Bay (7-3)
The Bears, with the league's top-ranked defense, have won six in a row, mostly against weaker teams, and have allowed only nine touchdowns. Last week, they sacked Jake Delhomme of the Panthers eight times.
But coach Lovie Smith is not celebrating yet, saying, "We haven't done enough to expect people to really give us a lot of respect right now."
The Buccaneers, with Cadillac Williams running for 116 yards, just got by Atlanta, and Chris Simms is becoming a reliable quarterback.
Carolina (7-3) at Buffalo (4-6)
After six straight victories, the Panthers rushed for only 55 yards and lost to the Bears. The Panthers offense was unproductive except for Steve Smith's 14 receptions, his most ever.
The Bills lost to the Chargers, who sacked J.R. Losman six times and held Willlis McGahee to 39 yards rushing. The Bills have records of 4-1 at home and 0-5 on the road, and their offense has become hit and miss.
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