Patterned tufted articles, surface coverings comprising same, and systems and methods of making same

A surface covering comprising:

• at least first and second tufted articles, each of the first and second tufted articles having a respective length along a first axis and a respective width along a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis, the first and second axes being perpendicular to a vertical axis, each of the first and second tufted articles comprising:
• a backing having a continuous structure;
• and
• a plurality of tufts extending through at least a portion of the backing, the plurality of tufts distributed among a plurality of patterned regions, wherein each patterned region comprises at least one tuft of the plurality of tufts, wherein the tufts of each patterned region differ from the tufts of at least one other patterned region of the tufted article in at least one of color, pile height, yarn type, or yarn density, and wherein at least one patterned region forms a discontinuity in a color pattern of the tufted article moving along the first axis,
• wherein the tufted article does not comprise a seam within or associated with the continuous structure of the backing,
• wherein the length each of the first and second tufted articles is greater than 160 feet,
• wherein the first and second tufted articles comprise respective complementary side edges that are secured together to form at least a portion of the surface covering,
• wherein, at the complementary side edges of the first and second tufted articles, each patterned region of the first tufted article is in alignment with a corresponding patterned region of the second tufted article such to cooperatively define a continuous pattern extending from the first tufted article to the second tufted article.