NFL: Undefeated for Long?
After a wild four weeks in the National Football League, only three teams remain undefeated: the Denver Broncos (4-0), the Minnesota Vikings (4-0), and the Philadelphia Eagles (3-0). These teams are all obviously off to a dream start to the season, but it’s time to analyze each team and find out which teams are for real and which teams won’t be undefeated for much longer.
New Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian looks to pass in a game against the San Francisco 49ers. Siemian has led the Broncos to an undefeated thus far, but we will see if an injury hinders the broncos success. (Photo/Denver Post)
Denver Broncos:
The Broncos, behind inexperienced quarterback Trevor Siemian, kicked off the season with a tough win in a super bowl rematch against Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. SInce then, they won the next three games easily and now face the high powered Atlanta Falcons offense.
The good news for the Broncos is that they have one of the best defenses in the league, giving up an average of only 16 points per game. The bad news is that Siemian is listed as day-to-day with a shoulder sprain and they may have to start rookie quarterback Paxton Lynch (14-24 passing with one touchdown), who filled in for Siemian in last week’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Overall, This Denver Broncos team is very strong in all three elements of the game and will handle the Falcons at home and head into an easy stretch of their schedule. The easy schedule (including 2 matchups with the San Diego chargers, and games against the jaguars and raiders) combined with the consistent execution on defense leaves the broncos in a very good position come playoff time. At least thus far.
RESULT: The Broncos are approved.
Teddy Bridgewater (right) and Adrian Peterson (left) celebrate After Scoring a Touchdown. Bridgwater and Peterson were both lost for extended periods of time if not the whole season, and left the vikings in a tough situation. (Photo/Seahawks.com)
Minnesota Vikings:
The Minnesota Vikings started their season in a nightmare situation, losing their starting quarterback (Teddy Bridgewater) in the preseason and one of the league’s best running backs (Adrian Peterson) in week 2. But behind veteran quarterback Sam Bradford, who is known for being injury prone and average at best, the vikings have shocked everybody and got off to a 4-0 start.
There is just one problem: the offense isn’t all that great. Although they have won the first four games, they have not scored more than 25 points in any of the games and the lack of star players will eventually catch up to them. Additionally, I am still not convinced that Bradford has what it takes to lead a successful team through a season, as he couldn’t do it with the Rams or the Eagles in past seasons.
The Vikings defense, led by stud cornerback Xavier Rhodes, are definitely for real, with their coach Mike Zimmer going as far as calling them, “Special.” But as the Vikings eventually face tough defenses such as the Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals, they will begin to slide downwards and lose hopes at any sort of run in the playoffs past the first or second round.
RESULT: The Vikings are Denied.
Rookie quarterback Carson Wentz Prepares for his NFL debut before the game. Wentz took over after Sam bradford was traded to the vikings and has impressed many after defeating his first three opponents. (Photo/Bill Stretcher)
Philadelphia Eagles:
The Eagles have been rolling behind rookie sensation Carson Wentz, and will continue rolling through the first half of the season when they will hit a wall and roll straight in the opposite direction.
The Eagles began the season with wins over two of the league’s worst teams, the Cleveland Browns (if they even count as a team) and the Chicago Bears. The high-flying Eagles then Proved that the first two weeks were not a fluke with a domination over the dangerous Pittsburgh Steelers. The Eagles are coming off of a poorly timed bye week and face a few easy teams, but will soon hit the difficult portion of their schedule.
By the end of the season, the Eagles will remember that they play in the NFC east and will find themselves in an aggressively average battle with the Dallas Cowboys and New York GIants for the sole playoff spot coming out of that division.
RESULT: The Eagles are pending on the way to denial.
The season is still young and anything can happen, but as for now this is the lookout for the teams off to the best start this year. Check back later in the season to see how my predictions panned out.
