NFL history is taking place as I write this. As of now, two NFL teams are 11-0 which is pretty remarkable. And so begins the discussion of which 11-0, team is better: the Indianapolis Colts or New Orleans Saints.
Now as a Tennessee Titans fan, I find myself a little biased on the subject since I am also a huge Colts hater, but looking purely at statistics and the game I have seen with my own two eyes, I will stand proud and say the Saints are a much better team than the Colts are.
We’ll start with, arguably, the most important player on the field: the quarterback. Peyton Manning may go down as quite possibly the best QB to ever play the game, but not this year.
No QB in the NFL has been more lethal than Brees in 2009. Brees is leading the NFL in touchdowns, QB rating, most passes over 20 yards and yards per catch. Watching Drew Brees drop back and deliver a strike to any one of 10 guys on that team is truly art.
Those ten guys can make a big difference in a game,
While the Colts have great receivers in Reggie Wayne, who has the second most catches in the NFL behind Wes Welker with 79, and one of the best tight ends in the game with Dallas Clark, no team has the depth of the receivers of the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints have 10 different players who have caught touchdown passes this season. That is double the amount the Colts have.
Overall scoring offensively, the Saints also have the edge, with 407 points scored to the Colts’ 304. The Saints have scored more than 35 points in seven individual games. The Colts only have three.
When comparing teams, strength of schedule should always be reviewed.
When the Colts and Saints faced off against their respective opponents, the Colts have faced seven opponents who were at or under .500 winning percentage while the Saints have only faced five.
All in all, the Saints are a better team than the Colts, and I believe they will finish the season with a perfect record. With the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins in their last stretch of games, the outcome is looking very much in the Saints’ favor.
But here’s to hoping both teams finish the season perfectly and make it to the Super Bowl to face each other, because quite frankly, what football fan wouldn’t love to see two teams with perfect records going into the Super Bowl?
There is only one more story that I believe is worth mentioning in this article, because it could be another accomplishment that we don’t see for quite some time. That being the turnaround of the Titans and more importantly the play of Vince Young and Chris Johnson.
As I mentioned earlier, I am a Titans fan, but even those who aren’t have to admit their turnaround after the 59-0 shellacking at New England, and starting 0-6 to turn it around and be in the playoff picture is nothing short of remarkable.
Being on a five-game winning streak after losing the first six games in a season had never been done before, let alone five straight wins.
Then there is the player who may be the best running back in the league, Chris Johnson. At press time, he had 1,396 total rushing yards and is on pace to break the 2,000 yard mark. He is the only player in NFL history to have three rushes that eclipse 80 total yards in a career, and he has done it all this season.
Johnson needs to average just more than 141.8 yards per game to break Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing record of 2,105 yards, which was set in 1984. To break the 2,000-yard mark, Johnson needs to average 120.8 yards per game. With three of the Titans’ opponents being Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks and the abysmal St. Louis Rams, this is very possible.
With week 11 in the book, the end of the season is shaping out to be an exciting one.
Hayden Shaver is a sophomore sports communication major from Washington. He is the Scout sports reporter.
Direct questions, comments and other responses to hshaver@mail.bradley.edu.
