What do you get when you assemble four decent teams into one division and then schedule them to play eight not-so-decent teams from the AFC South and NFC South?

History, apparently.

For the first time since the 1935 Western Division, the NFL has a division in which every team is at least two games over .500. The AFC North — Browns (6-3), Bengals (5-3-1), Steelers (6-4) and Ravens (6-4) — achieved that feat last weekend to match what Detroit, Green Bay, the Bears and the Chicago Cardinals did 79 years ago.

Of course, it helps facing the league's two South divisions. Those eight teams have one winning record, a combined 24-49-1 record and a division leader with a 4-5 mark. That's helped the AFC North go 15-6-1 when not thumping each other.

The AFC North sent three teams to the playoffs in 2011 and very well could do the same again this season. Right now, the Bengals, Steelers and Ravens are Nos. 2-4 in line for the two wild-card spots. Kansas City (6-3) is first.

The Browns, who were 4-12 a year ago, are leading this year's charge of teams looking to make the playoffs a year after falling short. Since the 12-team playoff format began in 1990, at least four teams have qualified that didn't participate the year before.

So far this year, Cleveland, Arizona, Detroit and Dallas are on track to keep that tradition going.

THIRD-AND-2

Three observations

• Aaron Rodgers averages 20.7 completions per game. Tom Brady averages 23.7. So when it comes to the Vikings' win over Washington, Norv Turner had a good reason to celebrate Teddy Bridgewater's 26 completions rather than dwell on Cordarrelle Patterson's one catch.

• The top three scoring offenses (Colts, Broncos, Patriots) are in the AFC.

• The three worst scoring offenses (Raiders, Titans and Jaguars) also are in the AFC.

Two predictions

• The Raiders will be 0-11 with a 17-game losing streak after playing the Chargers and Chiefs in a four-day span.

• Every division leader will be .500 or better when the Saints (4-5) bounce back at home against Cincinnati.

MARK CRAIG