Saints and Colts Stay Unbeaten...But It Won't Last

While the New England Patriots have lost two straight games for the first time in years and the Minnesota Vikings suffered their second loss of the season to Arizona, things are still looking peachy for Indy and New Orleans. Both are sitting on 12-0 records, both have MVP-caliber quarterbacks in Peyton Manning (who has already won 3) and Drew Brees (who was only a couple of completions shy of Dan Marino's passing yardage record last year) respectively, and both have defenses that come up big when it counts despite giving up pretty large chunks of points (the Saints are ranked 16th in points allowed this season, and while the Colts come in at 2nd in that category they have a tendency to fall behind early despite having the league's 4th ranked offensive attack).

The defenses aren't the only ones that are at their best in the clutch. Manning and the Colts have made fourth-quarter comebacks look easy this season (before last week's contest against the upstart Tennessee Titans they had had five straight come-from-behind victories). Not wanting to be left out, the Saints defeated Washington last week in a wild 33-30 overtime win. I was gunning for the 'Skins to win that game, but as luck would have it their tragic comedy of errors continued against the one team I hoped they would not make a mistake against (I could barely resist throwing something at my television when I saw Kareem Moore fumble the football after intercepting a pass and allow Saints receiver Robert Meachem, who was also the player who stripped Moore in the first place, to carry it 42 yards for a score).

These two teams have proved me wrong so far, but I said it weeks ago and I'll say it again: The Colts and Saints will NOT go undefeated. Sure, the Saints schedule is looking easier and easier from here on out, with the Cowboys as their only credible opponent remaining (I refuse to include the Atlanta Falcons while Matt Ryan is injured). Even so going undefeated is the most difficult to do in the NFL because the quest to perfection paints a large bullseye on the backs on those teams. The toughest part of the season for an undefeated team is at the end, when the talk of being perfect is at full volume. If you'll remember, the undefeated 2007 Patriots had some of their closest games in the final half of the season, against teams that they were expected to crush (including a Ravens group that went 5-11 that year). After pulling out wins against Baltimore and another nailbiter against Philly, the Pats closed out the regular season with a 38-35 victory against the New York Giants. While it cemented their perfect regular season, it was also a sign of things to come, and the once-dominant playoff Patriots were sunk 17-14 by those same Giants in the biggest game of the year. The one loss on their 18-1 mark that year came in the only game that really mattered: the Super Bowl.

While the Pats may have gone undefeated, I am still convinced that this year's contenders won't be so lucky. While the Saints may have avoided a loss by the skin of their teeth last week, the fact remains that the 'Skins have played some terrible football this season (their 3-9 record is evidence enough of that), and to put up such an inspired performance without their best player (Clinton Portis) is an omen of what awaits New Orleans down the stretch. Look for whoever beats them to not have many wins.

As for Indy, they have enough problems as it is without the talk of being perfect. They are dead last in the league in rushing with a dismal 87.7 yards per game, and without the arm of Peyton Manning this team could easily have a .500 record right now. With Bob Sanders sidelined for the season, the defense is far from impenetrable. It just helps when none of the teams in their division have a competent attack across the board. They host Denver next week, so look for the Broncos and their revitalized offense to give the Colts some trouble. After that, they have to go away to Jacksonville (who will more than likely solely be playing the role of spoilers) and then come back to Lucas Oil Stadium to play the Jets on Thursday Night Football. But the place (not necessarily the team) that I think may give the Colts the most problems is Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, where temperatures are absolutely frigid in January.

The last thing we need is another team going undefeated, let alone two. As much as I love Peyton Manning, I will be praying that he plays great but the Colts lose, and then I'll just have to root for whoever plays the Saints.