Storylines

How storylines work

Storylines are written from the league's numbers, and only from games that have finished playing out, so a game still being shown changes nothing here. Nothing is made up: no quotes and no guesses about what anyone is thinking.

• Streaks: three or more wins or losses in a row, and players on a run, such as 100-yard games or a sack in game after game.
• Breakouts: a player aged 24 or under, or new to the league, whose last three games are well above his earlier ones; or a player aged 23 or under, or new to the league, among the top three at his position.
• Hot seats: a team well below where it was expected to be, or on a long losing run.
• Revenge games: a player facing a team he used to play for, in the coming week.
• Playoff races: the fight for the last playoff spots and division titles. A team is called in or out only when no result in its remaining games could change it.
• Milestone watch: a player within reach of a season mark (such as 1,000 rushing yards) or a round career number, counting regular season games.