Since the beginning of the 2005 NFL season, one team each year has started the season at least 9-0. Each time that’s happened - Indianapolis (13-0) in 2005, Indianapolis again (9-0) in 2006, New England (18-0) in 2007, Tennessee (10-0) in 2008 - the football-covering media have raced to be the first to beat the undefeated drum. Why? Because in today’s sporting culture everything has to be the “best ever.”

That and the 1972 Dolphins’ champagne-popping ritual when the last unbeaten team falls each year is a lot like the college freshman who shows up to his old high school games on Friday nights wearing his letterman’s jacket. Writers want to see Mercury Morris go away, and for that I can’t really blame them.

reggie-bush-kim-kardashianThen again, is carrying a zero in the loss column that long really a good thing? Only one of the four teams that started at least 9-0 in recent years has went on to win the Super Bowl (the 2006 Colts, and they were probably the weakest of the group). The whole “we’re just taking it one game at a time” mantra sounds good in Total Access-friendly sound bytes, but executing it is another matter. Being undefeated means being a bad team’s potential savior (think New England vs. Baltimore in 2007). Or a good team’s chance to announce itself as elite (think Indianapolis vs. San Diego in 2005). In the NFL, every team - even the best team - is going to have an off week (or two). Even the ‘72 Dolphins had one; luckily for them, the Redskins failed to take advantage in Super Bowl VII. Attempting to go unbeaten is tough, and it might derail a Super Bowl season in the process. Nevermind that everyone is essentially trying to go unbeaten, it’s cool to be contrarian, dammit!

But enough Debbie Downer-ing, let’s talk about how the Saints can go 19-0! Here’s a game-by-game look at what they have left on their schedule:

Week Eight : Atlanta (home): Through six games, the Falcons are surrendering 368 yards per game. The seven teams giving up more than that have five wins - combined. The Saints are averaging just a shade under 40 points per game. That kind of statistical imbalance doesn’t bode well for a Monday night game in the Superdome. Ask Starship 7 how quickly things can go wrong when Tirico has crawfish.

Week Nine: Carolina (home): The Panthers, bad as they’ve been, still boast the eighth-ranked rushing attack in the league. Perhaps they can use the Williams/Stewart combo to play keepaway from Brees & Friends? Probably not in New Orleans.

Week 10: St. Louis (away): Seriously, if the Rams can’t keep the Colts’ offense under 40, what’s to stop the Saints from hitting 60?

Week 11: Tampa Bay (away): One of just two remaining outdoor games on the Saints’ regular-season schedule. If the Bucs played in New England or Pittsburgh, maybe weather could turn the game in a slopfest, giving the Bucs a shot. Barring an unexpected monsoon, the Saints should cruise.

tom-brady-playing-golfWeek 12: New England (home): If this game were being played at The Razor, it wouldn’t shock us to see the Patriots open as slight favorites. But once again the schedule sets up nicely for the Saints. They get the Patriots one week after New England’s trip to Indianapolis. Still, Moss and Welker in a dome …

Week 13: Washington (away): Oh, please.

Week 14: Atlanta (away): The good news here is that playing the Saints twice in a span of six weeks means they’ll be familiar with them and can possibly exploit any mismatches discovered in their previous meeting. The bad news is that the Falcons’ secondary is terrible and there’s really no way to hide a secondary in December unless you play in the Meadowlands.

Week 15: Dallas (home): If the Saints make it this far still unscathed, they’ll be 13-0, and depending on what’s happened to the Vikings, they could have homefield throughout the playoffs locked up. The Cowboys, more than likely, will be battling for a playoff spot, or the NFC East title. If there’s a “trap game” on this schedule, you’re looking at it.

Week 16: Tampa Bay (home): Unless Josh Johnson somehow turns into a serviceable NFL starting QB over the next two months, rookie Josh Freeman will be under center for this one.  Could the Saints sit their starters for the second half and still win? When they’re already up by 24, why not?

Week 17: Carolina (away): While the Saints could be playing to join Miami and New England in the record books, the Panthers will likely be jockeying for draft position, somewhere between pick four and pick 10. There’s incentive for the Panthers to win in that they don’t want a division opponent making history on their field, but this Carolina team and “fight” haven’t exactly been synonymous thus far.

Playoffs: As of right now it would appear the Saints will probably play, say, the second-place NFC East team (Giants, Cowboys, Eagles?) or maybe the NFC West winner (Arizona?) in the divisional round, before hosting the Vikings in the NFC Championship. Both of those games would take place in the Superdome, the second of which would be the biggest game played there involving the Saints. If you’re a Saints fan, you have to like the sound of that. Meeting the Colts, Patriots or Steelers in the Super Bowl? Probably less appealing.