The Pittsburgh Steelers found out their 2024 regular season schedule last Wednesday, and included in that 17-game list of opponents are four games played in consecutive weeks against teams in the AFC North division. While it certainly is a rarity for any NFL team to play four consecutive divisional games without a bye week mixed in, it has happened several times since NFL realignment last took place in 2002. How many times? Let’s have a look.
According to data I compiled on Stahead.com, an NFL team has played at least four consecutive games without a bye week mixed in against teams within their own division 12 times in total since 2002. The last time such a feat occurred was during the 2022 season when the New York Giants played four consecutive divisional games from Weeks 12-15. In case you’re curious, the Giants went 1-2-1 in those four divisional games.
Prior to the Giants in 2022, 2021 was the previous season that an NFL team played at least four consecutive divisional games without a bye week mixed in. It actually happened twice that season. The Washington Commanders played five consecutive NFC East games from Weeks 14-18, and they went 1-4 in those contests. Additionally, the Philadelphia Eagles played four consecutive NFC East games that same season from Weeks 15-18. They were a combined 3-1 in those four divisional contests. The Commanders and Eagles shared two games against each other as part of those two respective streaks.
Moving back in time from 2021. In 2019, the NFL had three more teams play four or more consecutive divisional games without bye weeks mixed in that season. The Atlanta Falcons were one of those three teams as they played five consecutive NFC South games from Weeks 10-14. They went 3-2 in those five contests. The New Orleans Saints were also one of those three teams, as they played four consecutive NFC South games from Weeks 10-13. They went 3-1 in those four contests, with two of those games being against the Falcons. Additionally, the Eagles also played four consecutive NFC East games during the 2019 season from Weeks 14-17, and they managed to sweep them all by going 4-0 in those contests, a very impressive feat.
In 2017, the Falcons again played four consecutive NFL South games from Weeks 14-17, and they held their own in those contests by going a combined 3-1.
Prior to the 2017 NFL season, the 2015 season included the Green Bay Packers having to play four consecutive NFC North games from Weeks 10-13. The Packers split those four divisional games by going 2-2 during that span of contests.
Going even further back into the archives, I found that the 2011 NFL season included two teams having to play four consecutive divisional games without a bye week mixed in. The Cincinnati Bengals were one of those two teams as they played four consecutive AFC North games from Weeks 10-13. They went 1-3 during that span of four games. That included bookend losses to the Steelers. Additionally, the St. Louis Rams also played four consecutive NFL West games during the 2011 NFL season from Weeks 11-14, and they went 0-4 in those contests.
In 2010, the Tennessee Titans played four consecutive AFC South games from Weeks 12-15, finishing that stretch of contests with a 1-3 record.
Prior to the 2010 NFL season, however, you have to go all the way back to the 2002 NFL season to find the previous and first instance of a team playing at least four consecutive divisional games without a bye week mixed in. That was the first season of the NFL’s current division alignment, and those four games spanned Weeks 10-13. The Bengals went 0-4 in those four consecutive AFC North contests in 2002, and one of those losses came at the hands of the Steelers, a familiar opponent, in Week 12.
So, to recap those 12 previous occurrences of NFL teams having to play at least four consecutive divisional games without bye weeks mixed in since the 2002 realignment, only once did a team go undefeated during their respective span of games, and that was the Eagles in 2019. Combined, those teams were 22-27-1.
This season, the Steelers’ four consecutive AFC North opponents on their schedule are from Weeks 11-14. They include two home games and two road games. Two of those four games are against the Cleveland Browns. Should the Steelers sweep those four AFC North opponents during that span, they would become the first AFC team to accomplish such a sweep since realignment took place in 2002 and just the second NFL team to do it as well.
