Prelude- Without a doubt, the talk around the water cooler on Monday will be of the New England Patriots win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Having said that, once you've discussed that topic, you may wish to visit Saturday's blog topic of the recent signing of Jason Spezza by the Ottawa Senators. In hockey circles, that is big news. Click here for what to say.
Sport - Football
Event - New England Patriots win to remain unbeaten (9 wins and 0 losses)
Issue - On Sunday, the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts played in the most talked about NFL games in years. The reason? Heading into the match both teams were undefeated. This was the first time so late into a season two undefeated teams had played each other.
The last team in the NFL to go a full season without a loss were the Miami Dolphins of 1972. Ever since, all great NFL teams have been measured against that standard. A few teams have come close but stumbled toward the end of the season.
New England prevailed 24-20 after staging an incredible comeback victory. In doing so, they beat what is arguably the toughest opponent they will see this year. Now, NFL watchers are going to be discussing whether New England can go a perfect 16-0.
Point to Say - "New England staged an incredible comeback against the Colts! Do you think they'll go undefeated this year?"
Follow up point - "New England plays the Bills next week who've won three straight. But do you think it will be Pittsburgh that ends their winning streak?"
Backgrounder
Who are the 'Bills'? That's the Buffalo Bills who play in the same division as New England. They just won their third straight game and are playing the Patriots in Buffalo in two weeks. But the odds will be very long for the Bills to win that game.
Each team in the NFL plays 16 games in their regular season. Back when the Dolphins went undefeated they played 13 games.
The Patriots are playing week opponents. The have now defeated the next two best teams in the league. Four weeks ago, they completely dominated the Dallas Cowboys, arguably the third best team in the league right now after the Colts.
The Patriots are playing like one of the all time great teams. Evidence of their all time elite status can be seen in the amount of points they score each game. The Patriots are averaging scoring numbers each game like no other team has the history of the NFL.
Analysis
Can they win all their remaining games? The Patriots will have two more tough matches in their remaining seven games. Although the Patriots next game is against a team (the Buffalo Bills) who are currently playing their best football in years, it will be in 5 weeks that will be the next tough challenge. At that point, the Patriots will play the Pittsburgh Steelers a team that has given up the least amount of points out of all the teams in the league. If the Patriots pass that hurdle, it looks like it will come down the 16th and final game against the New York Giants, an away game in New York no less.
Links
Confused by football? Need a 101 description? Click here.
Want to see who New England is playing against in the coming weeks? Click here.
Read the full game recap from the Globe and Mail here?
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