I saw an interesting question posed on social media last week.
“Do you think the Atlanta Falcons have a legit chance to go undefeated?”
Mmmmmm. No. As it turns out, no.
But hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Before going down to the Saints 31-21 inside the Superdome on Friday (AEST), I would have said the Falcons had perhaps the best chance of being the NFL’s last remaining undefeated team.
That’s not to say I thought they would go 16-0, which is rare and very difficult for a number of reasons.
And it doesn’t mean I thought they were the best team in the NFL.
The evaluation was based mostly on the Falcons relatively easy schedule until Week 14, when they face undefeated division rivals Carolina.
After starting 5-0, the Falcons next four opponents (including the Saints) before the bye were a combined 5-14. And after the week off they would face the Colts and Vikings in the Georgia Dome, where the Falcons have been unstoppable of late, and then the struggling Buccaneers in Tampa.
But, as well as what appeared to be a favourable schedule, the Falcons have also vastly improved their running game and defence under new head coach Dan Quinn.
And where once they would have relied on Matt Ryan to air the ball out 50 times to get them a win, the Falcons have learned how to win in different ways.
That’s the real key to success and consistency. Not even the Patriots, Broncos or Packers pin all their hopes on one player. They get big plays from the defence, special teams and running game to win those close games they are not supposed to win.
And that’s what the Falcons had been doing.
Winning ugly, but winning.
For the first time ever, six teams remained unbeaten as we entered Week 6 of the NFL season.
But alas, the Falcons ran into a desperate Saints team, fired up by the presence of the inspirational Steve Gleason, fell behind early, made simple mistakes and couldn’t recover.
So with the Falcons now among the imperfect, who is most likely to be the last undefeated?
The Carolina Panthers (5-0) are one of the surprise packets of the season thus far. After sweeping aside four struggling teams to start the season, they made the NFL sit up and take notice when they went into Seattle and forged out a comeback win for the ages.
Written off by many when Kelvin Benjamin was ruled out for the season, the Panthers have found a way to win by playing stout defence, employing a multidimensional running game, feeding the ball to talented tight-end Greg Olsen and relying on Cam Newton to make plays.
But with arguably one of the toughest schedules among the undefeated teams, when will the Panthers’ game plan come unstuck?
They face a tough home stretch against the Eagles, Colts and Packers in the next three weeks. If they make it through that unscathed, they should sweep aside the Titans and Redskins. The Panthers could go deep into the season with a perfect record, but experience tells me they have an off day in the next few weeks.
Prediction: The Panthers will soon leave the realm of the undefeated. Look for them to drop one of three home games coming up.
The Denver Broncos are 6-0 and it’s no thanks to Peyton Manning. That might be a bit harsh, b
ut I can’t help thinking the man who deserves the lion’s share of the credit for Denver’s impressive start is general manager John Elway. Rather than be content with what was one of the NFL’s best offenses, Elway has slowly been acquiring incredible talent on the other side of the ball. The Broncos have arguably the best defence in the NFL and they keep bailing Manning and the offense out with defensive touchdowns and goal-line stands.
So how much longer can this go on? Well, probably until just after the bye week when the Broncos host the Packers. One team will walk out of there 6-1 and I say it’s the Broncos. You can’t expect Manning to throw three interceptions against every team and expect the Broncos to scrape through.
Prediction: The Broncos are imminently facing imperfection.
The Cincinnati Bengals (6-0) are the real deal in 2015. And by ‘real deal’ I don’t mean they are going to win the division and then lose to the Texans, Colts or Chargers in the AFC Wild Card game like every other year. I’m talking real deal.
Andy Dalton is being mentioned among MVP candidates. They’ve got two hungry running backs and an emerging tight end. And that defence is, well, not the reason they are going to lose this season. But when will the Bengals’ bubble burst? It could happen as early as Week 8 when the Bengals travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers.
Even if Mike Vick or Landry Jones remain under centre, the Bengals might have their work cut out for them as Le’Veon Bell gets back into stride and the Steelers look to get their talented receivers more involved.
The Steelers have had the wood over their divisional rivals in the last two years and that should continue in week 8.
Prediction: Headline – Andy Dalton is human, throws three picks in loss versus Steelers.
It’s a scary thought that the Green Bay Packers (6-0) have not played anywhere near their best the last few weeks and still really haven’t looked like being beaten. But they might have a few close calls coming up. After the bye, the Packers have a tough two-game road trip to Denver and then Carolina.
It should be the most testing stretch the Packers face all regular season. If they win both then they could very well go all the way, with only a game in Arizona in Week 16 looking troublesome. If Aaron Rodgers stays healthy then the Packers beat the Broncos and challenge the Panthers defence.
Prediction: Expect a well-rested Packers team to end a couple of streaks of their own the next few weeks. They could remain undefeated until the New Year.
Believe it or not but the New England Patriots (5-0) toughest test to remain unbeaten could come against the New York Jets in Week 7. The Jets (4-1) have one of the best defensive lines in the NFL and are getting great production out of running back Chris Ivory and wide receiver Brandon Marshall.
If the Patriots beat the Jets at Foxborough then the next big test comes against the Giants in Week 10, perhaps the Bills the following week and then the Broncos in Week 12.
It’s a tough 14 days and could be where the Patriots trip up. Tom Brady is playing with a point to prove and people are already starting to compare this team to 2007. But Bill Belichick and Co could care less about regular season perfection if it means more rest and a better-timed run at the Super Bowl.
Prediction: Look for the Patriots to clinch a divisional spot and then rest a few players in the final weeks. That’s usually when they drop a game or two.
Who do you think will be the last undefeated team?
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