NFL parity has disappeared in a sea of disparity this season.
Three NFL teams are spotless and three are winless. Considering recent history with the unbeaten Patriots and 0-16 Lions, posting a big, fat zero in the loss or victory column isn’t absurd anymore. Could it happen at both ends of the standings this season?
You bet.
Just look at the Grand Canyon sitting between the haves and do-we-have-to-watch-thems in the league right now. The Saints can score – and score and score some more – on anybody. The Rams barely have as many points in seven losses as New Orleans scores in seven quarters.
Peyton Manning is performing at a level even he has not reached often in his three-MVP career and the Colts look like the NFL’s most balanced team. Their division rivals, the Titans, are so off-kilter they have gone from a 10-0 start in 2008 to 0-6.
y might be singing Boz Scaggs’ “Lowdown” to describe the Bucs’ offense. And defense.
Not that having a defeat or two doesn’t disqualify teams for the elite level. Certainly the Patriots, Giants and Steelers deserve such recognition. Maybe the Eagles, Bengals, Packers and Cardinals, too – all with two losses.
Plus the Vikings (6-1), with only a loss at Pittsburgh to blemish their record.
Most of these top teams have some common elements, highlighted by coaching stability. Who is more secure in their jobs than Bill Belichick, Tom Coughlin, Mike Tomlin, Andy Reid and Sean Payton?
Also, in the cases of coaching turnover, the decision makers at the top – Jim Irsay, Pat Bowlen – have solid track records in their past hirings, such as Tony Dungy in Indianapolis and Mike Shanahan in Denver.
larming.
Poor drafting has been damaging for some of the big-time losers, particularly Kansas City, Oakland, Cleveland and Detroit.
Not that having no wins this year gives a team all the dibs on ignominy. The Chiefs, Browns, Raiders, Redskins or Lions all have the potential to wind up with the league’s worst record.
So how do you handle all those Ls?
“Get ready to win a game and don’t dwell on what’s happened in the past. Just look ahead,” Titans coach Jeff Fisher said.
So we’ll do just that. What’s ahead for the superior and the inferior, and will we see another Patriots 2007 (16-0) or Lions 2008 (0-16)?
WINNERS
Of the three undefeated teams, the Saints might have the clearest route to perfection. They appear to be in the midst of a special season, as their comeback win at Miami last Sunday so emphatically demonstrated. Their toughest contests outside the division will both be in the Superdome, against the Patriots and Cowboys. And they have a pair of games with division rival Atlanta, including Monday night in New Orleans.
“In the BCS you’ve got to pay attention to that, but it means nothing after six weeks” in the NFL, Payton said. “The Alabamas and the LSUs and the Ohio States, well it means something for them, but it doesn’t mean anything for us.”
Indianapolis hasn’t missed a beat with Jim Caldwell replacing Dungy. If anything, the Colts are more efficient than ever, particularly Manning, and deeper than they’ve been, especially on defense. A series of injuries, mainly in the secondary but at other spots, too, has forced backups to develop, resulting in quality depth few teams manage in the salary cap era.
But 16-0, with matchups against New England, Denver, Baltimore, the Jets and two with the Texans? That’s a tough chore.
“I think the thing that we try and do and we’ve always done is you never really get out in front of yourself,” Caldwell said. “We like to add them up at the end.”
Denver seems least likely to keep it going. Then again, the Broncos have been doubted ever since Josh McDaniels took over as coach.
They are at Baltimore this weekend and still have the Steelers, Giants, Colts and Eagles on the schedule, with road games at Indy and Philly. And they already are coasting in a weak division.
LOSERS
Now, we’ve got some prospects.
But let’s eliminate the one pretender: Tennessee will not go winless a year after being 13-3.
Yes, there’s discord among the Titans, and Fisher might be at odds with the owner over playing Vince Young. And there are injuries to key personnel.
But the Titans have too much ability, and winnable games with Buffalo, St. Louis and Seattle on the schedule. Hey, coming off a bye they might even beat the Jaguars this weekend.
which the endings could make the folks in St. Louis and Tampa cry if they weren’t already so hardened by all the losing. Neither team has a semblance of offense or defense. Both have new head coaches trying to find their way, with a dearth of leadership on their rosters.
Oh sure, the Rams could sneak away from Detroit with a W on Sunday. If they don’t, well, Dec. 13 at Tennessee might be their only other opportunity.
Tampa lost all 14 games of its debut season in 1976, and another 12 in a row to start ’77. That was an expansion team. This squad looks like one, too, with visits to Carolina and Seattle seemingly its best chances to avoid equaling the Lions’ woeful, uh, achievement.