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No one said going undefeated is going to be easy
Scouts Inc.
Updated: October 3, 2007, 2:35 PM ET
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There are four undefeated teams and while a perfect season is a long ways away, it's never too early to break down each team's strengths, weaknesses and remaining schedule.
Dallas Cowboys
Strengths: The Cowboys have a lot of things going for them right now and the biggest is QB Tony Romo. Romo is finding the open receivers and might be the most accurate passer in the NFL right now. When Romo doesn't have an open man, he takes matters in his own hands and either runs with it or makes plays on the run. He looks like a young Brett Favre. WR Terrell Owens has been making big plays and not dropping the football like he did in 2006. The Dallas running attack has RB Marion Barber and RB Julius Jones splitting time and gaining plenty of yards. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett seems to go with the hot hand between the two running backs and that's worked so far. The Dallas offensive line, led by LT Flozell Adams and RT Marc Colombo, has given Romo plenty of time in pass protection and hasn't given up many sacks. The defense is among the top 10 in rushing defense and defensive ends Chris Canty and Marcus Spears play a physical style of football that makes it difficult for opposing offensive lineman to move them. Canty and Spears do an excellent job playing in the two-gap 3-4 scheme. Corner Anthony Henry is one of the NFL leaders in interceptions and the secondary has been solid. The Cowboys are playing well in two out of the three phases of the game.
Weaknesses: Some of the Dallas special teams units aren't helping in the field position battle on Sundays. The kickoff return unit is one of the worst in the NFL as far as average per return. RB Tyson Thompson isn't a threat to most coverage units on kickoff return and is more of the "catch the ball and gain positive yards" type of player. The Dallas punt coverage unit gave up a long punt return for a touchdown this past Sunday to St. Louis return specialist Dante Hall and the coverage units need to improve in order to give the defense as much real estate behind it as possible.
Bumps in the road: One of the most anticipated games for the Cowboys this season is on Oct. 14 against the New England Patriots. That could be two undefeated teams battling to stay perfect. A month later, the Cowboys play host to the Washington Commanders and rivalry games are always close games. Then on Nov. 29, the Cowboys will face the Green Bay Packers at home, which should be another great match up and could be another potential battle of unbeatens. The schedule is in the Cowboys' favor with some of the most important games of the season being played at home.
Green Bay Packers
Strengths: It is clearly the passing game. Brett Favre is playing like a young man again. He can still make all the throws and fit the ball into small windows. WR Donald Driver has found the fountain of youth and second-year receiver Greg Jennings is healthy and making plays. Rookie James Jones is emerging as a solid third receiver and tight ends Donald Lee and Bubba Franks are giving Favre solid outlet options. The Packers have an excellent front seven led by Aaron Kampman and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila up front. MLB Nick Barnett can play sideline to sideline and the WLB AJ Hawk has a better understanding of the defense. The Green Bay secondary was supposed to be a weak link but the DBs have been making plays due to their attacking and aggressive style.
Weaknesses: Only one has shown itself so far and that is the Packers' inability to rely on the run game. The reason I won't say they can't run the football is because they have yet to really commit to running it. When they struggle to run the ball early in the game, they have wisely abandoned it. However, at some point this team is going to have to learn to run the ball. Through the first four games they have thrown the ball 170 times and run it 79 times. History says that you have to be able to run the ball and stop the run when the playoffs roll around. Green Bay can stop the run, but must find some form of a run game.
Bumps in the road: Not counting this week's Bears game at home where anything can happen, the Packers will have a few bumps in the road to run the table. They have a tough two-week trip starting with an Oct. 29 trip to Denver. The Broncos can run the ball and the Green Bay run defense was very average this past week at Minnesota. On Nov. 4, the Packers go to Kansas City and Arrowhead Stadium is one of the toughest places in the NFL to play. A week after playing the Lions on Thanksgiving Day, the Packers have another tough road game against Dallas. The Cowboys have great offensive balance and will be a huge test for a much improved Green Bay defense. The last real bump in the road is at Chicago on Dec. 23. It is so far down the road it is tough to say what the implications are, but anytime you have to go to Chicago in late December, it's a tough task.
Indianapolis Colts
Strengths: Take your pick: Star power at key positions. Super Bowl experience. Great coaching, play calling and scheme. A quarterback who plays the game at a different level than maybe anyone in history. The passion and work ethic to repeat. The strengths of the Colts are obvious, even to the untrained eye.
Weaknesses: This team lacks depth at just about every position. Marvin Harrison injured his knee last week and obviously if he is out a long period of time, the offense will suffer. If, heaven forbid, Peyton Manning wasn't able to play -- even for one game -- this streak would be over. Bob Sanders has been brittle of late and he injured his ribs against Denver. Injuries aside, this defense still needs to prove that it can stop the run on a consistent basis. The Broncos' rushing attack piled up 223 yards in Indianapolis. That might be a glimpse of things to come.
Bumps in the road: One that jumps out is when the Colts visit Jacksonville On Oct. 22. The Jaguars often play up or down to their level of competition. They are a very big physical team that potentially could wear down the Colts. Indy will be favored on the road in this matchup, but their ability to run the football and stop the run might be severely tested. But the biggest test is obviously the Nov. 4 game against New England. Ali/Frazier. Russell/Chamberlain. Bird/Magic. You get the point. There are the Patriots, the Colts and then everyone else. Indianapolis will be in the dome for this one and obviously they have played New England very tough of late, but the Patriots are the more well-rounded team from top to bottom. Either way, these two likely will meet again with the right to advance to the Super Bowl on the line of the playoff rematch.
New England Patriots
Strengths: It is clearly Tom Brady and the Patriots' multi-dimensional offensive attack led by offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Brady remains one of the top-signal callers in the NFL with his outstanding intelligence, leadership, decision-making and composure in the pocket. WR Randy Moss is back playing at a Pro Bowl level, while Wes Welker and RB Sammy Morris have been huge additions to this offense. On top of that, the offensive line is one of the best units in the NFL. The Patriots can run it inside or outside while attacking all levels in the passing game. This places a tremendous amount of pressure on opposing defenses to defend the whole field. Defensively, the whole unit has been very impressive on all three levels (DL, LB, and DB). The Patriots are very difficult to run on due to the strength of their defensive line and experienced linebacker corps. Ultra-versatile Adalius Thomas has been huge addition, along with the play of LOLB Mike Vrabel, NT Vince Wilfork and LDE Ty Warren.
Weaknesses: Assuming they stay healthy and that injuries don't turn a strength into a weakness, there aren't many here. The Patriots' pass defense could be a concern as we move deeper into the regular season if teams can isolate their linebackers/safeties to create individual mismatches they should be able to exploit on the back end. Also, their red zone defense needs to improve, as opponents have scored on each of their six trips in the Patriots' red zone this year. However, head coach Bill Belichick does a great job of keeping offenses off balance and hiding defensive weakness.
Bumps in the road: The Patriots will have a few bumps in the road to run the table for a perfect season starting this month with a trip to Dallas on Oct. 14. Led by QB Tony Romo, the Cowboys are clicking on all cylinders and are the best team in the NFC. And don't forget Dallas ended the Colts' perfect season last year in Week 10. After that, the Patriots return home against an improved Washington team in late October before heading to Indianapolis on Nov. 4 in a rematch of last season's AFC Championship game. This game also should have a huge impact on determining home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. For a Dec. 3 "Monday Night Football" game (ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET), the Patriots will travel to Baltimore before returning home off a short week to face the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even though it's so far down the road, the Patriots face a difficult task to run the season undefeated.
Scouts Inc. watches games, breaks down film and studies football from all angles for ESPN.com.
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Scouts Inc.
Updated: October 3, 2007, 2:35 PM ET
Comment
There are four undefeated teams and while a perfect season is a long ways away, it's never too early to break down each team's strengths, weaknesses and remaining schedule.
Dallas Cowboys
Strengths: The Cowboys have a lot of things going for them right now and the biggest is QB Tony Romo. Romo is finding the open receivers and might be the most accurate passer in the NFL right now. When Romo doesn't have an open man, he takes matters in his own hands and either runs with it or makes plays on the run. He looks like a young Brett Favre. WR Terrell Owens has been making big plays and not dropping the football like he did in 2006. The Dallas running attack has RB Marion Barber and RB Julius Jones splitting time and gaining plenty of yards. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett seems to go with the hot hand between the two running backs and that's worked so far. The Dallas offensive line, led by LT Flozell Adams and RT Marc Colombo, has given Romo plenty of time in pass protection and hasn't given up many sacks. The defense is among the top 10 in rushing defense and defensive ends Chris Canty and Marcus Spears play a physical style of football that makes it difficult for opposing offensive lineman to move them. Canty and Spears do an excellent job playing in the two-gap 3-4 scheme. Corner Anthony Henry is one of the NFL leaders in interceptions and the secondary has been solid. The Cowboys are playing well in two out of the three phases of the game.
Weaknesses: Some of the Dallas special teams units aren't helping in the field position battle on Sundays. The kickoff return unit is one of the worst in the NFL as far as average per return. RB Tyson Thompson isn't a threat to most coverage units on kickoff return and is more of the "catch the ball and gain positive yards" type of player. The Dallas punt coverage unit gave up a long punt return for a touchdown this past Sunday to St. Louis return specialist Dante Hall and the coverage units need to improve in order to give the defense as much real estate behind it as possible.
Bumps in the road: One of the most anticipated games for the Cowboys this season is on Oct. 14 against the New England Patriots. That could be two undefeated teams battling to stay perfect. A month later, the Cowboys play host to the Washington Commanders and rivalry games are always close games. Then on Nov. 29, the Cowboys will face the Green Bay Packers at home, which should be another great match up and could be another potential battle of unbeatens. The schedule is in the Cowboys' favor with some of the most important games of the season being played at home.
Green Bay Packers
Strengths: It is clearly the passing game. Brett Favre is playing like a young man again. He can still make all the throws and fit the ball into small windows. WR Donald Driver has found the fountain of youth and second-year receiver Greg Jennings is healthy and making plays. Rookie James Jones is emerging as a solid third receiver and tight ends Donald Lee and Bubba Franks are giving Favre solid outlet options. The Packers have an excellent front seven led by Aaron Kampman and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila up front. MLB Nick Barnett can play sideline to sideline and the WLB AJ Hawk has a better understanding of the defense. The Green Bay secondary was supposed to be a weak link but the DBs have been making plays due to their attacking and aggressive style.
Weaknesses: Only one has shown itself so far and that is the Packers' inability to rely on the run game. The reason I won't say they can't run the football is because they have yet to really commit to running it. When they struggle to run the ball early in the game, they have wisely abandoned it. However, at some point this team is going to have to learn to run the ball. Through the first four games they have thrown the ball 170 times and run it 79 times. History says that you have to be able to run the ball and stop the run when the playoffs roll around. Green Bay can stop the run, but must find some form of a run game.
Bumps in the road: Not counting this week's Bears game at home where anything can happen, the Packers will have a few bumps in the road to run the table. They have a tough two-week trip starting with an Oct. 29 trip to Denver. The Broncos can run the ball and the Green Bay run defense was very average this past week at Minnesota. On Nov. 4, the Packers go to Kansas City and Arrowhead Stadium is one of the toughest places in the NFL to play. A week after playing the Lions on Thanksgiving Day, the Packers have another tough road game against Dallas. The Cowboys have great offensive balance and will be a huge test for a much improved Green Bay defense. The last real bump in the road is at Chicago on Dec. 23. It is so far down the road it is tough to say what the implications are, but anytime you have to go to Chicago in late December, it's a tough task.
Indianapolis Colts
Strengths: Take your pick: Star power at key positions. Super Bowl experience. Great coaching, play calling and scheme. A quarterback who plays the game at a different level than maybe anyone in history. The passion and work ethic to repeat. The strengths of the Colts are obvious, even to the untrained eye.
Weaknesses: This team lacks depth at just about every position. Marvin Harrison injured his knee last week and obviously if he is out a long period of time, the offense will suffer. If, heaven forbid, Peyton Manning wasn't able to play -- even for one game -- this streak would be over. Bob Sanders has been brittle of late and he injured his ribs against Denver. Injuries aside, this defense still needs to prove that it can stop the run on a consistent basis. The Broncos' rushing attack piled up 223 yards in Indianapolis. That might be a glimpse of things to come.
Bumps in the road: One that jumps out is when the Colts visit Jacksonville On Oct. 22. The Jaguars often play up or down to their level of competition. They are a very big physical team that potentially could wear down the Colts. Indy will be favored on the road in this matchup, but their ability to run the football and stop the run might be severely tested. But the biggest test is obviously the Nov. 4 game against New England. Ali/Frazier. Russell/Chamberlain. Bird/Magic. You get the point. There are the Patriots, the Colts and then everyone else. Indianapolis will be in the dome for this one and obviously they have played New England very tough of late, but the Patriots are the more well-rounded team from top to bottom. Either way, these two likely will meet again with the right to advance to the Super Bowl on the line of the playoff rematch.
New England Patriots
Strengths: It is clearly Tom Brady and the Patriots' multi-dimensional offensive attack led by offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Brady remains one of the top-signal callers in the NFL with his outstanding intelligence, leadership, decision-making and composure in the pocket. WR Randy Moss is back playing at a Pro Bowl level, while Wes Welker and RB Sammy Morris have been huge additions to this offense. On top of that, the offensive line is one of the best units in the NFL. The Patriots can run it inside or outside while attacking all levels in the passing game. This places a tremendous amount of pressure on opposing defenses to defend the whole field. Defensively, the whole unit has been very impressive on all three levels (DL, LB, and DB). The Patriots are very difficult to run on due to the strength of their defensive line and experienced linebacker corps. Ultra-versatile Adalius Thomas has been huge addition, along with the play of LOLB Mike Vrabel, NT Vince Wilfork and LDE Ty Warren.
Weaknesses: Assuming they stay healthy and that injuries don't turn a strength into a weakness, there aren't many here. The Patriots' pass defense could be a concern as we move deeper into the regular season if teams can isolate their linebackers/safeties to create individual mismatches they should be able to exploit on the back end. Also, their red zone defense needs to improve, as opponents have scored on each of their six trips in the Patriots' red zone this year. However, head coach Bill Belichick does a great job of keeping offenses off balance and hiding defensive weakness.
Bumps in the road: The Patriots will have a few bumps in the road to run the table for a perfect season starting this month with a trip to Dallas on Oct. 14. Led by QB Tony Romo, the Cowboys are clicking on all cylinders and are the best team in the NFC. And don't forget Dallas ended the Colts' perfect season last year in Week 10. After that, the Patriots return home against an improved Washington team in late October before heading to Indianapolis on Nov. 4 in a rematch of last season's AFC Championship game. This game also should have a huge impact on determining home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. For a Dec. 3 "Monday Night Football" game (ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET), the Patriots will travel to Baltimore before returning home off a short week to face the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even though it's so far down the road, the Patriots face a difficult task to run the season undefeated.
Scouts Inc. watches games, breaks down film and studies football from all angles for ESPN.com.
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