The Patriots and Panthers are the only two undefeated teams left standing after the Texans shocked the Bengals Monday night in Cincinnati. The Bengals became the first undefeated team since 1934 not to score a touchdown in a game, leaving the top two MVP candidates, Tom Brady and Cam Newton, to duke it out.
Here is the case for each team to run the table.
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Carolina Panthers
Remaining Schedule: Redskins, @Cowboys, @Saints, Falcons, @Giants, @Falcons, Buccaneers
That schedule isn’t a murderer’s row, but it isn’t easy. The Redskins have been a tough out this season, the Cowboys have Tony Romo back under center, and the Saints’ high-powered offense can often cover for its weak defense.
The good news for Carolina is that none of their remaining opponents have imposing defenses. Newton has thrown for at least one touchdown in every game this season, and he’s registered six rushing touchdowns in addition to that. Despite his top wide receivers being Ted Ginn Jr. and Corey “Philly” Brown, the Panthers have managed to keep defenses honest, and be one of the NFL’s best rushing teams in the face of stacked boxes.
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Because of Newton’s supporting cast – outside of Greg Olsen there isn’t a reliable pass-catcher in sight – it’s more likely than not that one of these opponents will play well enough defensively to shut down their smoke-and-mirrors passing game. The question is can any of them stunt the running game enough, while scoring on Carolina’s second-ranked defense, to pull off an upset.
New England Patriots
Remaining Schedule: Bills, @Broncos, Eagles, @Texans, Titans, @Jets, @Dolphins
Tom Brady’s been here before. He has actually orchestrated a 16-0 season, so that is a major boost to his case. But New England has big hurdles. Four of their remaining seven are on the road, like the Panthers, and the final two are against bitter rivals. They are also relying on Brady’s magic to cover for multiple injuries on the offensive line, a season-ending injury to valuable scatback Dion Lewis, and a potentially season-ending foot injury to top wide receiver Julian Edelman.
On the plus side, the toughest remaining matchup, at Denver, may no longer feature Brady’s archrival Peyton Manning, who has a torn plantar fascia that will keep him from suiting up in Week 11. Of the remaining six opponents, only the Jets and Bills, division rivals New England has owned, have winning records.
Finally, tight end Rob Gronkowski is not among New England’s walking wounded, which is really the most important thing. Aside from Brady, no player is more important to this team than Gronkowski, who demands so much attention lesser lights such as Danny Amendola and Brandon LaFell can be put in positions to succeed. Losing Edelman and Lewis will hurt everyone’s numbers, but Brady proved he can still win with this crew as long as Gronk is on the field.
Best Chance Of Staying Unbeaten: Patriots
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