We blinked and now the NFL season is at the halfway point. One of its most obvious features is its parity. There is simply no dominant team this season, and the results have never been more week to week. That means there will be a whole lot of teams that are likely to still be vying for playoff spots deep into December. And that means that every turnover, every injury, every breakout performance could prove to be pivotal when the season is sorted out.

Week 9 provided some developments that we may look back on as critical as teams ramp up for a playoff push. We're focusing this week on the AFC, where the traditional conference powers struggled in the early weeks, opening the door to upstarts. Mark these developments from this week , when the field is finally set at season's end.

1) The

See Full Page