NFL immortality awaits the perfect season but stats and history are against going undefeated

Are the New England Patriots (7-0), Green Bay Packers (6-0), Denver Broncos (6-0), Cincinnati Bengals (6-0) and Carolina Panthers (6-0) that much better than everyone else? As a collective group, no.

Aaron Rodgers is a big reason the Green Bay Packers are 6-0 heading into their showdown with Peyton Manning and the equally 6-0 Denver Broncos. Stacy Revere / Getty Images

The NFL never before have had five unbeaten teams playing this late into the season.

But does that make the New England Patriots (7-0), Green Bay Packers (6-0), Denver Broncos (6-0), Cincinnati Bengals (6-0) and Carolina Panthers (6-0) that much better than everyone else?

As a collective group, no.

Certainly all five teams are winning games for a reason, and appear to be well on their separate paths to the post-season. But the chances of any of them staying unbeaten for 16 games are slim and none, partly because they all will face at least one other member of their unbeaten club in the coming weeks.

In fact, one of them, barring a rare tie, will be unceremoniously ended on Sunday when Green Bay travel to Denver for the first showdown within the quintet.

On the surface, this is a glamour matchup between two of the most popular quarterbacks in America – Aaron Rodgers of the Packers and Peyton Manning of the Broncos.

However, the 39-year-old Manning is something of an afterthought, may even be a liability at this point. He has thrown a league-high 10 interceptions.

It is the Denver defence that leads the league in fewest yards allowed per game (281) and will be charged with keeping it a low-scoring game.

Likely their best chance to win is to do what they do best – stop the run and send their heralded pass rushers after Rodgers.

As Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib told UPI, “They make the quarterback make decisions that he might not make if he weren’t under pressure.”

When asked how he would counter Denver’s ability to create turnovers, Rodgers quipped, “Don’t throw it to their defence. I’ll try to throw it to our guys.”

In any event, it is the beginning of the end for the league’s bevy of unbeatens. Next week, Green Bay takes on Carolina.

Later in the year, Denver has games against Cincinnati and New England.

Besides that mathematically simple argument there is history, which overwhelmingly tilts against regular season “perfection”.

Only the 2007 Patriots and 1972 Miami Dolphins managed to negotiate the obstacle course.

One reason five teams have made it to November without a loss is due to some quirky scheduling. Green Bay, Cincinnati and Carolina have not played any teams that have a winning record.

Yes, their wins are partly responsible for their opponents’ weak marks.

But, overall, the long list of unbeatens have taken advantage of some less than stellar opposition.

Denver has played one team with a winning record.

New England has played two, but the Patriots, for the most part, have been obliterating opponents with a margin of victory near 17 points per game.

After trouncing the Miami Dolphins on Thursday, New England tight end Rob Gronkowski was asked about the topic they hate talking about – matching the 2007 team’s perfect regular season.

“I’m not here to compare us to 2007,” said Gronkowski, who said the Patriots simply “work hard” at practice and “love to play football.”

In New England, where they are schooled not to boast, they would call that a perfect answer.

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