It has to be a coincidence, right? There’s really no other way to explain why so many showcase NFL games have turned into what-else-is-on routs this year.

It happened again Sunday. The hype for the latest round of Brady-Manning was far better than the game itself. For someone living in Chicago, the Patriots’ 43-21 victory over Denver didn’t look that much different than their 51-23 drubbing of the Bears.

Then last night, Ben Roethlisberger and Pittsburgh torched Baltimore 43-23. Big Ben is so hot, he will consider it a bad game if he throws for less than 5 TDs in a game.

The blowout continued a perplexing streak for NBC’s Sunday night crew. Take a look at this run on Sunday night:

Sept. 21: Pittsburgh 37, Carolina 19.

Sept. 28: Dallas 38, New Orleans 17.

Oct. 5: New England 43, Cincinnati 17.

Oct. 12: Philadelphia 27, Giants 0.

Oct. 19: Denver 42, San Francisco 17.

Oct. 26:  New Orleans 44, Green Bay 23.

Nov. 2: Pittsburgh 43, Baltimore 23.

That adds up to an average differential of 21.9 points per game in their last seven games. The routs are good for CBS’ “The Good Wife,” not so good for keeping those viewers interested in the fourth quarter.

Don’t look now, but the sagging Bears are at Green Bay next Sunday night. Confidence level not high here in Chicago. Another blowout could be on the agenda for NBC.