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With one quarter of the season in the books, the league still has five undefeated teams remaining. The Saints, Seahawks, Broncos, Patriots, and Chiefs are all sitting at a clean 4-0.
This thread is to discuss the likelihood of each team remaining undefeated through the subsequent week. (Hopefully they don't all five lose this week so we can have more fun discussing them.) As it happens, this week all five undefeated teams are the visitors. Will one of them fall this week, or will we be talking about all five of them next week too? It's worth discussing.
I'll get it going:
New Orleans Saints: For those of you who like the play the "they haven't played anyone yet" card, the Saints are probably your best best. After the way they pasted the previously undefeated Dolphins last night, the Saints look like a team that can give anyone problems in the NFC. For several years the Saints had one of the most explosive offenses in the league, offset by one of the more porous defenses. The year they won the Super Bowl the one redeeming quality their defense had was they forced turnovers. Otherwise they were pedestrian at best, and downright awful at worst. But this Saints team is looking good on defense. They don't give up scores AND they force turnovers. You couple that to the Saints typically high-flying offense and this team is going to leave a wake destruction behind it.
This week: The Saints visit the Chicago Bears who are coming off a drubbing by their rivals in Detroit. The Bears defense has scored more than some teams offenses have (I'm talking about you, Jacksonville Jaguars) and Jay Cutler is having a career year, leading his team to the #2 scoring offense through the first quarter of the season. But the Saints offense appears to have found its feet, which is bad news for anyone remaining on their schedule.
My prediction: The Saints go into Chicago and handle business against the Bears to improve to 5-0.
Seattle Seahawks: Against what many consider to be a Super Bowl contender, the Seahawks found themselves down 20-3 at halftime on the road. Just as all the nay-sayers were clearing their throats to say, "I told you so" the Seahawks unleashed a comeback as good as the one the Texans themselves unleashed earlier this season against the Chargers. For starters, their defense got owned in the first half, but owned the second half. And even though the Hawks' offense struggled to keep the comeback alive, their buddies on defense bailed them out yet again. Still, the critics likely won't be silent unless the Seahawks post a winning record on the road this season. For the record, they are 2-0 in road games.
This week: The Seahawks visit the Indianapolis Colts in the second of two consecutive road games. The Colts defense suddenly looks like an NFL defense and the offense is somewhere north of solid and south of dominant. Overall that is a pretty good combination. The Seahawks play a very physical style of defense, but that is suddenly not the advantage over this Colts team as it may have been over Colts teams in recent years.
My prediction: If you like scoring, this is not the game for you. The Colts prevail in a defensive battle, dropping the Seahawks to 4-1.
New England Patriots: I have seen so many wild predictions for the Patriots, ranging from finishing 13-3 and winning the Super Bowl to going 10-6 and barely making the playoffs. If I had to pick sides after four games, I would be inclined to say this Patriots team looks like a legitimate contender. Just because they haven't mauled opponents like they have in years past does not mean their brand of 4-0 is any less than other 4-0 Patriots teams. Besides, nobody in his right football loving mind will ever count out a team led by Tom Brady. Add to it the Patriots look like they are interested in playing defense this season and things just got a whole lot more interesting.
This week: The Patriots visit the Bengals, who have to be smarting from that 17-6 loss to the Browns. And I can't think of a better way to follow up a loss to the "lowly Browns" than a visit from BB, Tom Brady, and the Patriots! The Bengals were a trendy pick to win the AFC North. Pete Prisco even picked them to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl! (BTW, I admire his pick because it defies the NFL analyst tradition of following the path of least resistance and sticking with the safe picks of Patriots, Packers, etc... Not a Prisco fan, but he deserves props for that one!) But the Bengals have looked very...ordinary through the first quarter.
My prediction: I like the Patriots offense better. I like the Patriots defense better. I like the Patriots cheerleaders better. Patriots win and move to 5-0.
Denver Broncos: Even the most orange-bleeding Broncos fans could not have seen this coming. I sure didn't. I expected an offense that would be better than the rest, but the margin by which the Broncos offense has separated themselves from the rest of the league borders on ludicrous. But lost in all the excitement of their offense is how good their defense and special teams have been. Special teams has added some scores of their own, adding to the ways this team can beat opponents. Defense has been very good at controlling the damage early in the game. But where they have really excelled is being dominant in a stretch of every game long enough to give their offense a chance to open it up. It has been a lethal combination.
This week: The Broncos hit the road and travel to Dallas where the Cowboys will try to tame these bucking Broncos. (Forgive me, it had to be said.) The Cowboys have an offense that can get around the block in a hurry, but it is not anywhere close to the level of the Broncos offense. Meanwhile the Cowboys defense is ranked 27th against the pass. This should alarm Cowboys fans. I hope Jerry Jones took out an insurance policy on that fancy scoreboard because Manning may break the thing as he slings the ball around.
My prediction: If you haven't already figured it out, I expect the Broncos to win. I readily acknowledge the Cowboys can make a game of it. They can play with the best of them one week and trip over their own feet the next. But even in a shootout, the Broncos have the tools to overpower just about anyone. Broncos move on to 5-0.
Kansas City Chiefs: Even as a Broncos fan, this year's Chiefs represent what I love about the NFL. You take a team that lost 14 games a year ago and defensively couldn't get a stop at a red light, give them a coach and a QB and suddenly they are 4-0 and sporting a defense one can make an intelligent argument is the best in the league. I did expect the Chiefs to be better, but I would be lying if I told you I expected them to be this good. Offensively this team is not going to impress anyone. They quietly go about their business and try to avoid mistakes. Couple with their defense, this has been a successful recipe early on.
This week: The Chiefs head to Nashville where they square off against the Titans. The Titans are coming off a drubbing of the Jets, but lost their starting QB to a hip sprain. A hip sprain just sounds ridiculously painful. Ryan Fitzpatrick will step in for Locker. Fitz has had some success against the Chiefs as the Bills QB, but it was a different Chiefs defense altogether, regardless of the players present. It won't be so easy for him this time around.
My prediction: A defensive field goal-fest. First team to 21 wins. And that team will be the Chiefs, who move on to 5-0.
There you have it, football fans. My thoughts on how the five remaining undefeated teams will perform this coming week. Let's hear your thoughts!
I'm with you, like your descriptions! I picked the Colts over the Seahawks (not that my track record of picks says much)! The way the Saints looked Monday night, don't see the Bears beating them. I think KC is an interesting team this year. Brady is doing o.k. without Gronk, if he is back, wow! Broncos beat the Cowboys, no doubt about it!
Both the Seahawks and Chiefs will go to 4-1 this week
Next will be the Pats
Followed by the Saints
And lastly, the Broncos.
Bold. The Chiefs have the #1 scoring defense and will play on the road against a backup QB, albeit a veteran with some experience. As a Broncos fan, I hope you are right!
Bold. The Chiefs have the #1 scoring defense and will play on the road against a backup QB, albeit a veteran with some experience. As a Broncos fan, I hope you are right!
As a Bills fan, I can say that Fitz is a most capable backup QB, he's just not a franchise signal caller. I think Tennessee is lucky to have him. I wish the Bills would have kept him as a backup, but it just wasn't happening for him in Buffalo. Tennessee is an interesting team this year. This should be a good game.
As a Bills fan, I can say that Fitz is a most capable backup QB, he's just not a franchise signal caller. I think Tennessee is lucky to have him. I wish the Bills would have kept him as a backup, but it just wasn't happening for him in Buffalo. Tennessee is an interesting team this year. This should be a good game.
Fitz destroyed the Chiefs a couple times as the Bills QB as well. I don't expect it to be so easy for him this time around. Now they are actually good.
I'll rank them in order of least likely to likely:
1) Patriots. Even if Amendola and Gronk aren't back, the Bengals secondary is atrocious and Tom Brady should be handle them with relative ease.
2) Broncos. Will be close for a half or maybe 3 quarters, but the talent gap between the Cowboys and Broncos is extremely wide and Denver should pull away in the 2nd half.
3) Saints. Only because Jay Cutler is the bears QB and he'll probably make some boneheaded throw to cost his team the game. Bears defense will keep it close.
4) Chiefs. I still think they'll win, but the Titans are very underrated team, and pretty good in Nashville. Locker out really hurts them.
5) Seahawks. I don't expect Andrew Luck to make the same mistakes Matt Schaub made last week. If the Seahawks can pull this out, you definitely have to put them on the short list of NFC championship contenders.
So the Patriots go down 13-6 today. Only four undefeated teams remain. Maybe not that many by the end of today!
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The way the Saints looked Monday night, don't see the Bears beating them. I think KC is an interesting team this year. Brady is doing o.k. without Gronk, if he is back, wow! Broncos beat the Cowboys, no doubt about it! 
