Week 11 in the NFL: Titans emerge at top of the pack

A look at the NFL this week as we've passed the halfway point of the season.

BEST TEAM

Titans (8-2)

They've won a league-high six straight, including the last five against teams that made the playoffs last season. They join the 2003 Eagles as the only teams to win five straight against teams that made the playoffs the previous season. And, watch out AFC, because they now have the league's easiest remaining schedule. Four of their final seven games are against Jacksonville, Miami and Houston twice.

WORST TEAM

Lions (0-8-1)

Chin down, Detroit. The first franchise to go 0-16 still has a chance to be the first to go 0-16-1. The NFL has had 14 overtime games this season. The record is 18 in 1995.

RANKING THE VIKINGS

No. 17. It's a good time to be in the NFC, eh? The view from here is there are 10 AFC teams better than the Vikings and only six NFC teams better than them (although Carolina probably is too on the rare occasion when Christian McCaffrey isn't hurt). Last Week: 20.

TRENDING UP

Patriots (6-4)

It's no coincidence that New England's four-game winning streak has come against teams with first- or second-year head coaches. Bill Belichick is coaching circles around the pups of his profession.

TRENDING DOWN

Rams (7-3)

Matthew Stafford in his past two games: 0-2 while being outscored 59-26. Detroit Lions in their last two games: 0-1-1 while being outscored 60-22.

STAT OF THE WEEK

393: Days between home wins for the 49ers. Like the Vikings, the 49ers crawled back into the NFC playoff race with a statement game. San Francisco's was more impressive, a 31-10 rout of the seven-win Rams to snap an eight-game home losing streak in which the 49ers were outscored 236-163.

STAT TO WATCH

8: Wins by teams with a .500-or-below winning percentage who have beaten division leaders the past two weeks. That hasn't happened since 1970. Week 10 saw the Vikings, Panthers, Dolphins and Washington accomplish that feat. Week 11 features six division leaders facing teams with a .500-or-below winning percentage, including the Packers (8-2) at the Vikings (4-5).

GAME OF THE WEEK

Cowboys (7-2) at Chiefs (6-4)

The first meeting between Dak Prescott and Patrick Mahomes features two division leaders thanks to the Chiefs finally starting to look like the Chiefs again. Prescott completed 77.4% of his passes with a 127.9 passer rating in a 43-3 win over Atlanta last week. Meanwhile, Mahomes threw for 406 yards and five touchdowns and had a 127.6 passer rating in a 41-14 win at Las Vegas. Mahomes also has gone two straight games without a turnover for the first time this season.