Colts and Saints Remain Perfect

Ten games in and we still have two undefeated teams, the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints. The Colts had a bit of a scare yesterday in Baltimore, but in the end their record remained unblemished. The Saints on the other hand had a cake walk yesterday as they improved to 10-0 in Tampa. With only six games remaining, now is the time we begin to wonder, can either team have a perfect regular season? Or could the unthinkable happen and they both go undefeated?

The easy answer to both of those questions is simply no. The odds are stacked against you to be perfect for 16 weeks. Also both teams have already had their share of close calls, including some against some pretty weak teams. Both teams still have a couple of tough opponents that they need to face that could easily give them their first loss. That all being said, while I don’t think it will happen, I definitely think it can happen.If you take a look at both of their remaining schedules they are set up pretty well in favor for the Colts and the Saints.

The Colts have the Texans, Titans, Broncos, Jaguars, Jets and Bills remaining. The Texans, Broncos and Jaguars are all in the playoff hunt, but only the Texans should really worry the Colts. The Broncos once looked like the Colts toughest game, but after four straight humiliating losses they no longer seem like a threat (if the Redskins can score 27 on them, what will the Colts put up?). The Jaguars are 6-4 right now, but they are still pretenders and not contenders for me. Yes they beat the Texans, but their other five wins were against the Titans, Rams, Chiefs, Jets and Bills. Of those games only the Titans were they able to beat by more than 3 points. The Texans game is the Colts toughest matchup mainly because its on the road and the Texans do have the offense to challenge the Colts in a shootout. In the first game between these two, the Colts needed a last second field miss by the Texans to avoid overtime. And while they dominated the game on the stat sheet they couldn’t put the Texans away.

The Saints remaining schedule is similar to the Colts in overall difficulty, with the Patriots, Redskins, Falcons, Cowboys, Buccaneers and Panthers. The Redskins, Buccaneers and Panthers should all be fairly easy wins for the Saints (they won their first games against the Bucs and Panthers a combined 68-27). The Saints do luck out that their two toughest games, the Patriots and Cowboys, are at home in the Super Dome. As for their other tough game at Atlanta, I think the Saints will have no problem dominating the Falcons again. In the first meeting the Falcons made it a game on the score sheet, but Drew Brees and the Saints controlled that game from start to finish. Next week’s New England game will be the Saints toughest matchup, but I think home field really will come into the Saints favor. New England isn’t as dominate as they once were, and proved pretty susceptible to the pass against the Colts two weeks ago. I also like the Saints defense against New England’s offense. Their secondary is playing exceptionally well, and their defensive front seven are putting a ton of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Tom Brady has never done well under pressure, and could really struggle against the Saints.

The toughest test for both of these teams to go undefeated will come this week. If the Saints and Colts survive this weekend, then perfection is definitely an option for either team. And maybe, just maybe we will have a Super Bowl matchup of a pair of 18-0 teams, though I wouldn’t bet on it. What do you think…can either team or both go through the season unscathed?