Silverman: It's The Year Of The Undefeated In NFL, But No Teams Will Run Table
By Steve Silverman
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This is the year of the undefeated in the NFL.
While the Atlanta Falcons dropped out when they slipped up in New Orleans last week, five teams are still perfect as we head towards Halloween. That's very unusual. There were no unbeaten teams at this point last year, and there's usually no more than one team that has an unblemished record after five or six games.
We don't think any of the five teams -- the Green Bay Packers, Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos or New England Patriots -- will go unbeaten or even make a run at the 1972 Miami Dolphins and their perfect 17-0-0 record. (They only played 14 regular-season games in those days.)
All of these teams have flaws – including the Patriots and the Packers – and there are no guarantees that any of these teams will end up playing in Super Bowl 50.
But here's a look at each of those teams, along with their strengths and potential weak spots.
Denver Broncos (6-0-0) – The Broncos have a championship-level defense, but the offense will almost certainly lead to this team's demise in one of the early playoff rounds.
If you have been watching, Peyton Manning is relatively healthy, but he has very little left in the tank. He has almost no zip on his fastball, and if he is going to get it deep downfield, he has to wind up for what seems like hours and truly put everything into his throw.
He can't even do that if his offensive line is not protecting him. Manning can still throw the short pass, but even the medium-range ball gives him trouble.
The telltale stats are quite troubling. Manning is averaging just 6.43 yards per throw, and he has a 7-10 TD-interception ratio. He telegraphs way too many of his throws, and it's now easy to intercept him.
The Broncos are so good and fast defensively that they have been able to compete and win every week, but when their defense has trouble, the offense will not be able to bail it out. That could come Nov. 1 when they host Green Bay.
Carolina Panthers (5-0-0) – Give credit to head coach Ron Rivera for getting last year's 7-8-1 Panthers to play so well in the early part of the year.
The Panthers are doing just enough to win each week, and that's a credit to their focus and determination. However, the Panthers are another team that excels on defense and looks ordinary on offense.
Cam Newton is in the prime of his career, and he is capable of having a great game and beating an opponent with his arm or his legs. However, when he's not at the top of his game, his accuracy suffers. Newton is completing 55.4 percent of his passes, and that does not compare with the elite quarterbacks in the game.
It's not all on Newton, because the cast of characters on the Carolina offense are quite ordinary. Jonathan Stewart is a workmanlike running back who gives it his all, but he is not a breakaway threat. Wide receivers Ted Ginn and Corey "Philly" Brown both have explosive speed, but lack consistency in their route running and are not polished receivers.
Tight end Greg Olsen is a star who caught the game-winning TD pass against Seattle in Week 6, but he can't do it all by himself.
The defense is sharp and playing well, but it is not as good as the Broncos' when it is at its best.
The Panthers play the Eagles, Colts and Packers at home over the next three weeks. It would not be a surprise if they lost two of those games.
Cincinnati Bengals (6-0-0) – If we were just looking at the Bengals and judging them by how they have played this season, we would say they have a great chance to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl because Marvin Lewis has a complete team on his hands.
The Bengals rank third in offense and 20th in defense, but that figure is misleading. The Bengals have shown that they are capable of coming from behind and winning, but they have played the majority of the season with sizable leads and opponents have been able to gain yardage and make big plays against them. However, the defense has held up nicely, in large part because Carlos Dunlap has 6.5 sacks already.
Andy Dalton has been at the top of his game this season. He is completing a robust 67.4 percent of his passes for 1,761 yards and an average of 9.12 yards per throw. Additionally, he has already thrown 14 touchdown passes and just two interceptions.
After a bye this week, the Bengals go to Pittsburgh to line up against the Steelers. This is where their unbeaten streak comes to a close. The Steelers have too much firepower, and they will show it off as long as Ben Roethlisberger is in the lineup.
These are still the Bengals, and we won't believe in them until the combination of Dalton and Lewis demonstrates it can win its first playoff game.
Green Bay Packers (6-0-0) – The Packers are still motivated by their loss at Seattle in the NFC Championship game. The Packers were in control for the majority of that game before booting it away in the fourth quarter, and the Seahawks were more than happy to take it from them.
That game has stuck in the minds of head coach Mike McCarthy, his coaching staff and key players. They have already beaten Seattle this year. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and linebacker Clay Matthews are among the best in the league at their positions.
The Packers are the class of the NFC right now and should have an excellent chance to get to the Super Bowl. They won't be undefeated when they get there, as they will lose Nov. 22 when they play the division-rival Minnesota Vikings on the road.
New England Patriots (5-0-0) – Much is being made of Tom Brady and the Patriots being on a revenge tour this year after getting smeared by the "Deflategate" scandal.
Brady has been particularly peeved to see his name get dragged through the mud, and he has been on fire. Brady is completing 70.6 percent of his passes and is averaging 8.62 yards per attempt. He also has thrown 14 TD passes and just one interception.
But Brady is not alone, as he is getting plenty of support from LeGarrette Blount, Dion Lewis, Julian Edelman and a powerful tight end named Rob Gronkowski. The Patriots have so much versatility on offense, and that's why it is difficult to stop them.
The defense has holes in the secondary, but it is getting excellent contributions from linebacker Jamie Collins, defensive end Chandler Jones and Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler at the cornerback position.
It's a good defense right now, but it will have problems covering the best receivers.
They have a real shot to get to the Super Bowl, but they will not go undefeated this time around. They face the Jets and Dolphins at home the next two weeks, and they will taste defeat in one of those games.
If that prediction is wrong, they will lose to one of those teams on the road the last two weeks of the season.
They are good, but there are weaknesses to be had.
