After 5 weeks of play in the National Football League (NFL), three undefeated teams remain. One of these teams, the Denver Broncos, is not a surprise at all, with Peyton Manning breaking records at quarterback. But the other two teams are a surprise. The New Orleans Saints, with head coach Sean Payton returning from a one-year suspension, are a mild surprise. However, the Kansas City Chiefs, who won only 2 games last year, are a major surprise, winning their first 5 games.
The Chiefs tied the Jacksonville Jaguars for the worst record in the league last year, at 2-14. The Jaguars have started with 5 straight losses, are poised to make a run at the 2008 Detroit Lions, for the only team to lose all their games since the NFL went to a 16-game season. The Chiefs have a new coach in Andy Reid, but he isn’t really new, because he coached the Philadelphia Eagles the previous 14 seasons. Kansas City did have 6 players voted to the Pro Bowl last year, after that 2-win season.
The schedule so far was pretty easy for the Chiefs, and it doesn’t get much more difficult until their 10th game, against the Broncos. They beat the lowly Jaguars, and three teams from the National Football Conference (NFC) East, which is a division with all losing teams, but last week’s win on the road against the Tennessee Titans 26-17, has to be their most impressive win. This was the Titans’ first loss at home this year. Looking at their schedule the rest of the way, the Chiefs, with new solid quarterback Alex Smith at the helm, look to be a certain playoff team, barring a total collapse.
The Saints have a tougher schedule upcoming, although the demise of the Atlanta Falcons, dramatically helps their chances to win the NFC South division. No other team in their division has more than 1 win presently. The Saints were 7-9 last year, without their head coach, and other suspended players from the bounty gate fiasco. Their defense was the worst in NFL history, as far as most yardage allowed, giving up just over 440 yards per game. This year’s defense, under new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, has improved dramatically, now giving up 330 yards per game.
Of the three undefeated teams, the Broncos are only surprising in the fact that Manning is re-writing the record books on a weekly basis. He now has 20 touchdowns after 5 games, and he finally threw his first interception on Sunday, in a 51-48 win over the Dallas Cowboys. This was the 4th highest scoring game in NFL history. So the Cowboys scored 48 points, and still lost. That’s gotta be a tough pill to swallow. Denver still has to play the Chiefs twice, the New England Patriots, and the crumbling Houston Texans. But unless the Chiefs upset them at least once, the Broncos look to be headed for the top seed in the American Football Conference (AFC) again. Last year they lost to the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens, with a late touchdown in their Divisional Game. It will be interesting to see how much success the Broncos have in the playoffs, since Manning is only 9-11 in the playoffs in his career.
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Sports With Frank Thomas
