NFL Battle of the Unbeatens

Eight weeks into the NFL season, it’s just about half way over. At the beginning, there were a lot of teams stepping up as tough contenders, but now only two remain undefeated: the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints. Who will go deepest into the season with their perfect record intact? Let’s crunch some numbers.

Wins:
Indianapolis’ road to 8-0 has been seemingly easy. They have only faced one team with a current record at .500 or greater. Overall, they have beaten their teams by an average of 15.6 points and have a point differential of +106.

New Orleans, on the other hand, has played four teams with records at or above .500. And their average win margin and point differential are both greater than the Colts at 17 points and +119, respectively.

Remaining
However, no matter what has happened in the first eight weeks, it all depends on how these two teams can finish out the last nine. The Colts begin this next leg facing four teams each with at least four wins. The Saints’ next four opponents have a combined record of 9-20. Overall, Indianapolis’ remaining foes sit at 36-31 while New Orleans’ are 23-41, including two games against the 0-7 Bucs.

Conclusion
I do not think either team will make it through the whole season unscathed. But, it will be close. I predict Manning’s men will fall week 14 against a tough Denver squad. The Saints will “Brees” through until a week later and be handed their first lost in week 15 against Dallas. New Orleans has just two teams with five wins left on their schedule, the Patriots and the Cowboys, and I think the Cowboys are the tougher of the two and therefore the team to end the Saint’s perfect run.

Agree? Disagree? Feedback, as always, is welcome.