The AFL had 8 teams, grouped into two divisions. Each team would play a home-and-away game against the other 7 teams in the league for a total of 14 games, and the best team in the Eastern Division would play against the best in the Western Division in a championship game. If there was tie in the standings, a playoff would be held to determine the division winner.
The 1962 season started out as a race between Houston and Boston in the East, and Dallas and Denver in the West. After seven games, the Broncos were 6-1-0 and the Texans right behind at 5-1-0, while Boston and Houston were tied at 4-2-0.
In Week Eight, Buffalo beat Denver 45-38, while Dallas won at Houston, 31-7. The Oilers' loss, and Boston's 26-16 win over Oakland, put the Patriots and Texans at the top fo their divisions. The next week, though, Houston won their rematch at Dallas, 14-6, and though it didn't help the Oilers, Denver made a comeback to win 23-20 at San Diego to reclaim the division lead on November 4. In Week Ten, Boston beat Denver 33-29. Houston stayed half a game behind Boston, while Dallas pulled half a game ahead of Denver.
In Week Eleven (November 18), Houston won at Boston, 21-17, to reclaim the East, and Dallas won 24-3 at Denver to boost its lead. Houston and Boston continued to win, but in the final week, the Oilers clinched the division with a 44-10 in over the Titans.