Why Not Us? The Quest for 16-0: Teams That Could Make History in ’17

A feat only completed a handful of times, the quest for any NFL team to finish a season 16-0 is no easy task.

The New England Patriots, who have done it once before, were buried in talks this off season about having a legitimate shot at making history once again in 2017, but quickly dismantled those rumors after a stunning loss in Week 1 to Kansas City.

And while “16-0” should never be a phrase to be taken lightly, there is still a gleaming light of possibility for a handful of teams to accomplish it this season.

A perfect NFL season has only occurred a total of four times (Bears 1934, 1942, Dolphins 1972, Patriots 2007). So do any of these currently undefeated teams have a shot to make it five?

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs are rolling. After two big wins to kick off the season, Kansas City has it’s sights set on big things. And while that may consist of a playoff run and even a championship, you’d have to think they would be pretty content with finishing undefeated as well.

Here is a look at what the Chiefs have coming up in their quest for 16-0:

The Chiefs have a tough road ahead, and while they arguably made it past the toughest bump in the gravel by beating New England, that doesn’t mean they will breeze through the rest of their schedule.

They have plenty of key match-ups, such as games against division rivals Denver and Oakland, and mid-season tests against Dallas and Pittsburgh. All of those games will likely be tight, especially with Oakland and Pittsburgh sitting pretty in our latest Power Rankings. The Chiefs will have to stay healthy if they wish to keep stacking up the W’s, and they’ve already gone against that with the horrific loss of Eric Berry in their secondary.

Can Alex Smith lead the Chiefs to 16-0? Likely not. As well as Smith has played through the first two weeks, he has proven in the past that he is nothing more than a mid-level quarterback. While there is still hope, the Chiefs may not have the greatest chance of accomplishing a perfect season, especially with such a tough schedule.

Oakland Raiders

Staying in the AFC West, the Raiders have also shown dominance on the field, propelling them to 2-0. After years of rebuilding, the franchise has solidified themselves as one of the league’s biggest threats.

Here’s what they have in store:

The Raiders, like the Chiefs, still have some tough battles ahead. You can say they got off to a somewhat easy start by facing Tennessee and New York in their first two weeks. However, teams like New England, Denver and Kansas City still lurk ahead, making it a rocky road for Raider Nation.

Now that’s not to say that Oakland cannot beat those teams, because they can. It will take endurance, and again healthiness, to not wear out when those games arrive, however.

Oakland may have the best shot at becoming the fifth team to secure a perfect NFL season, but they’ll have to remain versatile in utilizing their offensive and defensive weapons before teams learn how to limit them on both sides of the ball.

Denver Broncos

Once again, the AFC West finds themselves with a competitor. The Broncos also remain undefeated so far in 2017, and they can credit that to their defense in most respects.

But as we’ve heard and seen before, defense wins championships. But can it get you to 16-0? Here’s what the Broncos have left this season:

Denver arguably has an easier schedule than the rest of their division rivals, as they see teams such as the Jets and Indianapolis in back-to-back weeks, but we shouldn’t discount the divisional match-ups.

While the Broncos’ D can certainly lead them to some big wins, they will only be able to get so far. This meaning Trevor Siemian will have to step up quite a lot on offense if the team has any chance of going 16-0, which is slim.

Now, not to discredit the Broncos offense, because they definitely have some weapons in CJ Anderson, Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas, but they’ll have to get things going against some of the league’s tougher defenses, something that haven’t faced quite yet.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers look poised to make Roethlisberger’s final season (reportedly) a big one with championship aspirations in mind.

They’ve come out of the gates hot, stomping over a rebuilding Cleveland team as well as a strong Minnesota defense. So can they make history?

A quick glace at their schedule tells you that they have a pretty good shot. Their biggest road blocks will be Green Bay and New England, but besides that, it doesn’t look like Pittsburgh will face any true threats.

So apart from those two games, what could stop them from achieving a perfect season?

The offensive line.

We’ve seen some slight improvement from them so far this year, but they need to keep Big Ben away from the pass rushers. Roethlisberger’s health is crucial to this team’s success, and we’ve witnessed that before.

If this team can keep Roethlisberger in good shape and remain competitive down the stretch, I don’t see why they couldn’t go 16-0, especially now that they have revamped their defense.

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons have been on a roll since their upsetting loss in last year’s Super Bowl. They’ve powered through both Chicago and Green Bay so far this season. Here’s what’s left:

Atlanta won’t have an easy ride to 16-0 despite their powerful offense. They see teams such as New England and Seattle early on, while also facing divisional opponents who are all in competition for a playoff spot.

The Falcons, however, did manage to get through Green Bay, who some of us at Cover32 had as our Super Bowl picks, and that shouldn’t go unnoticed. However, with obstacles ahead, you’d have to think Atlanta drops off somewhere, even if it is against a division rival.

Other Undefeated Teams:

• Carolina Panthers – The Panthers also find themselves at 2-0, but it seems to be a lucky coincidence. The team hasn’t played very well, scoring only nine points last week against Buffalo. However, they came close to 16-0 back in 2015, and if Cam Newton can get back into that similar state of mind, you never know what could happen.

• Detroit Lions – The Lions have been carried by Matthew Stafford over the past two weeks, winning over Arizona and New York (N) respectfully, both of who were tough opponents for sure. But now this team has to face a threatening Falcons offense, and later a versatile Green Bay team led by Aaron Rodgers. While there is always a possibility until the scoreboard reflects a loss, Matthew Stafford will only be able to trudge so far.

• Baltimore Ravens – To go into depth about the Ravens would be silly. While there is always hope, this team will face major turmoil down the stretch, and a perfect season is quite unlikely. Joe Flacco can only do so much with a mediocre offense, so Ravens fans, don’t get your hopes up.

• Miami Dolphins – The same goes to you ‘Fins fans. While the team technically has first place of the division under it’s wraps, it likely won’t last long. Jay Cutler is a part-time solution. If Ryan Tannehill had not fallen to injury, this team would be a higher consideration. Yes, they did it in ’72, but I don’t see it repeating in ’17.

– Kyle Hirshkind is the Managing Editor for cover32/Jets and covers the New York Jets. Like and follow on Follow @kylehirshkind Follow @cover32_NYJ

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