Chasing Perfection: Can The Saints and Colts Stay Undefeated?

We all remember the New England Patriots' storied undefeated season just two years ago, right?

David Tyree's historic ball-to-helmet Superbowl grab put New England's dream to an end.

Undefeated regular season, no ring.

This did not set well with "The Hoodie".

No Spy-gate here folks, the Saints and Colts are 13-0, and they're doing it the right way -- hard work.

As we take a look at the current unblemished teams -- the Saints and the Colts, which of the two have the best chance at running their schedule -- joining the Miami Dolphins of 1972 and the 2007 Patriots in the elite "perfect season" club?

The Colts have already secured their division and home-field advantage, the Saints have home advantage in hand as well.

The likelihood of two teams going undefeated is relatively low, but the Colts have a stronger possibility of doing so considering their weaker remaining schedule.

It seems that way, doesn't it?

Indianapolis Colts' remaining schedule.

The Colts have the Jags, Jets, and Bills to get past in order to go 16-0.

Attainable?

Yes.

Likely?

We'll have to wait and see.

Jacksonville and New York are both 7-6, but Jacksonville came dangerously close to beating the Colts in Week One. Indy came out on top, 14-12.

Wheew, that was close.

The Buffalo Bills are at 5-8 and should not be an issue when it comes to knocking off those Indiana boys.

You have a better chance at hitting the lotto than the Bills have beating the Colts.

Go buy a Mega Millions on game day, we'll see who fares out better.

Dollars to donuts, I'd wager that you end up on the winning end, not the Buffalo Bills.

The J-E-T-S started out hot, but have since faded to medicority. No worries here, Colts fans, you're safe against Rex Ryan's bunch.

In the case of the Jacksonville Jaguars, they have a slightly better chance, here's why.

One stat stands out in favor of the Jags, their home record.

Jacksonville is 5-2 at Municipal Stadium, and they'll host the Colts on December 17th.

Don't bet the farm on the Jaguars, but it's not outside the realm of possibility for the Jags to pull of a win, spoiling Indy's perfect season.

New Orleans Saints remaining schedule

Drew Brees is having a MVP caliber season and he's showing no signs of slowing down. 

A couple of close calls in the last two weeks have raised doubts when it comes to their ability to run the table. Maybe they're just having fun making the bayou-area sweat it out a little or maybe they ARE beatable.

The Washington Redskins gave New Orleans all that they could handle two weeks ago, but the Saints escaped with an overtime win, 33-30.

The Matt Ryan-less dirty birds almost put an "L" in New Orleans' loss column, but again, the Saints slid by with a three point win, 26-23.

Atlanta was a team thought to be a contender, it seems "pretender" would be a better fit.

Throw Matty Ice in the picture, there may have been a different outcome.

The Saints will have to face the 8-5 Cowboys, the 1-12 Bucs, and the 5-8 Panthers in their chase of perfection.

The Cowboys have not lived up to their pre-season hype, but then again, when was the last time they did?

Dallas has the best road record (3-3) of the Saints' remaining opponents, but don't count on taking out Brees' Saints, Cowboys fans.

Tony Romo doesn't have the gas it'd take to go toe-to-toe with Brees. His stamina and capacity to shine during clutch moments are in serious doubt these days.

Last night's MNF match-up against the Chargers proved the previous statement.

The Carolina Panthers aren't exactly a power-house squad, but Steve Smith can be the X-Factor come January 3rd.

The Panthers jumped out to a 17-6 lead on November 8th against N.O., they're a dangerous team when playing up to their potential.

A stat that catches my attention is this: the Panthers average 142 rushing yards per game when they're the under-dog, which they'll most certainly be when they face off with the Saints.

Carolina's run game is 4th best in the league, this could be a problem for the Saints' D.  

New Orleans may be handed their first loss during the last regular season game, but 15-1 is nothing to snub your nose at.

Who dey?

"Dey" are still Superbowl contenders, undefeated or not.

In short, the quest for perfection is difficult. 

Sure, both teams would like to achieve history,but that's probably the last thing on Manning's and Brees' minds at this point -- they want the bling, people.

Indianapolis' best chance at a loss will come to the Jacksonville Jaguars, while the Saints will have to watch out for the Carolina Panthers if they wish to remain unblemished.

Indy has rolled over team after team, they've dodged bullets against the Texans (20-17), and the Ravens (17-15), but they're solid all the way around.

When the ultimate field general heads your offense, there's not a whole lot to fret over. 

Peyton Manning's Hall of Fame resume would no doubt benefit from having a 16-0 regular season added to his long list of accomplishments, but it's not a make or break situation.

We already know this man is one of the all-time greats, it's just a matter of time to see what spot he'll occupy on that list. 

If Manning wins the Superbowl and MVP award -- along with a perfect regular season, he'd without question seal his legacy when it comes to having the best single season in the history of the National Football League. 

The same can be said about Drew Brees.

If Tom Brady beat the Giants, he'd be there too. He won the MVP hardware in '07, went 16-0, but couldn't take home a championship.

Brees' numbers are astronomical, his team is undefeated -- add a ring and a MVP, he'll go down in history as having the best single season a signal caller's ever seen.

2009 has been an exciting year in the NFL, we've not only had the chance to watch two great quarterbacks chase 16-0, but we're witnessing history.