This has been an unusual year for the NFL. Many teams projected to go deep into the playoffs have underperformed (the Colts, Ravens and Seahawks just to name a few). There are also four teams with 7-0 records, which has never happened before.
While the Bengals, Broncos and Panthers have all looked resilient, the most dominant team by far has been the New England Patriots. They have a plus 116 point differential coming into week nine. NFL analysts knew that the Patriots would be good coming into this year, but they have looked nearly as great as they did in 2007 when they went undefeated throughout the regular season. Their offense is the most efficient in the league and their defense (which many thought would be this team’s Achilles Heel) is seventh in rushing yards allowed per game and a respectable fifteenth in passing yards allowed per game. The obvious question becomes who will be able to beat the Patriots this year? There are teams remaining on their schedule that have a chance.
The clear favorite to hand the Patriots their first defeat is the Denver Broncos. The Broncos case was strengthened last week when they beat the Packers 29-10. In this game, their defense looked dominant as usual. They only allowed Aaron Rodgers to throw for 77 yards, but what really impressed me was the Broncos rushing attack. Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson combined for 161 yards and three touchdowns. This improved run game took the pressure off Peyton Manning. He still threw an interception, but he looked much better than he has at points during this season. If the Broncos have a game like they had last week when they play the Patriots on Nov. 29, they will have a good chance of winning.
That week the Patriots will also have to play on short rest and in Denver. While Tom Brady doesn’t lose many games, most of his loses have come on the road. With all of these factors working against them, I think it will be difficult for the Patriots to win at Denver, but if any team can do it, they can.
There are a few other teams that I think have a chance at beating the Pats if the Broncos don’t manage to get it done. Maybe the Houston Texans? I only bring them up because I think that they want it more than anybody else. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that the Texans have been good this year, but there’s so much between these two teams that this would make for a great upset. The Texans have many players and coaches associated with the Patriots organization. Bill O’Brien, their head coach, was the Patriots’ offensive coordinator in 2011. Starting quarterback Brain Hoyer used to play back up to Tom Brady, and long time Patriot Vince Wilfork now starts at nose tackle.
Elite receivers have burned the Patriots secondary this year. They gave up 133 yards and a touch down to Antonio Brown earlier in the year. DeAndre Hopkins has been making a case this year for his name to be considered among the top receivers in the league. The only problem is the guy throwing him the ball, Brain Hoyer, probably doesn’t have what it takes to expose the flaws in the Patriots secondary. While I’m sure the Texans would love to beat the Patriots, I think it’s highly unlikely that they will.
If the Patriots clinch the top seed in the AFC without losing there’s a chance that they will sit key players to avoid injury, but I don’t see them doing that. They are playing like they are angry with the rest of the league, and are out to prove something. If they manage to get past the Broncos, going undefeated won’t be out of the question. •
