17-0? Potholes on the New England Patriots' Road to Perfection

After handling the Steelers, who's left for New England to beat?

The Jets, the Dolphins, and the Giants.

Most people say the Giants pose the greatest danger to the Pats' perfect season.

The hapless Jets don't look to put up much of a challenge, and Belichick's squad will definitely be up for playing against the fink Mangini.

Irony could always rear its head, and the 0-14 Dolphins could beat the 14-0 Patriots in Week 16, but not only would the stars would have to align, but both a solar and lunar eclipse would need to simultaneously occur for the Fins to win and get rid of that fishy smell.

The final game against Giants, as everyone is saying, poses the biggest threat—read: bump in the road—to the perfect Patriots. Most analysts have been wondering if the Patriots will start their stars in their next three games, or rest them for the final push, since these contests are meaningless compared to the Super Bowl.

Well, things could be very different.

The Giants might actually lock up their wild card spot with wins against the Redskins and Bills—so they may be the team sitting their stars.

The potential pothole might actually be a small speed bump.

When all is said and done, all these ifs and ors probably won't matter, as this year's Patriots look too tough for anyone to derail their historic season.