What Team Is Undefeated In The Nfl 2017
The New England Patriots could go undefeated. The New York Jets could go winless. Will history be made in 2017?
The first round of the NFL draft is a time for hope. Teams hope to choose players who will make an immediate impact. Players hope to use the process as a launching pad to stardom. And most fans merely hope they won’t rue the day their favorite team botched the first round. With that backdrop, let’s take a look at former college stars who inspired hope Thursday night in Philadelphia.
- For so many undefeated teams of NFL lore, somebody did challenge enough to hand those allegedly unbeatable clubs their first 'L.' Let's take a look back at all the 11-0 starts in modern NFL.
- 2018: Los Angeles Rams, 8-0. 's dominant offense helped it break out to an 8-0 start before.
1. Browns. Defensive end Myles Garrett, Texas A&M. This one was a no-brainer. Regardless of Warren Sapp’s opinion, Garrett is a big-time edge rusher. He can play with his hand down as a 4-3 end or standing up as a 3-4 outside linebacker. He had 32.5 career sacks in college, the sixth-most in SEC history. End of discussion.
2. Bears. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, North Carolina. Chicago gave up a ton (the Nos. 67 and 111 picks in this draft, plus a 2018 third-rounder) to swap places with San Francisco. The Bears had better be right about Mitch.
3. 49ers. Defensive end Solomon Thomas, Stanford. New coach Kyle Shanahan has so many holes to fill. Thomas will help a porous defense. He’s smart, strong and agile. That’s the type of player Shanahan likes. And Shanahan also acquired needed picks in the trade with the Bears. Sweet.
4. Jaguars. Running back Leonard Fournette, LSU. A great running game is a quarterback’s best friend. Jaguars QB Blake Bortles needs as many friends as he can get. Fournette has that rare combination of power and speed.
5. Titans. Wide receiver Corey Davis, Western Michigan. Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota took a big step forward last season. Davis, the all-time FBS leader with 5,285 receiving yards, should help the young passer to continue to move in the right direction.
6. Jets. Safety Jamal Adams, LSU. The Jets turn to Adams, the second LSU player drafted in the top 10, to help improve an absolutely awful pass defense. Adams possesses the type of coverage skills the Jets need.
7.Chargers. Wide receiver Mike Williams, Clemson. Williams teamed with one of college football’s best quarterbacks, Deshaun Watson, at Clemson. Now he gets to work with a top-shelf NFL quarterback in Philip Rivers. Any wideout should be so lucky.
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8. Panthers. Running back Christian McCaffrey, Stanford. Even as a top 10 pick, this versatile running back could wind up being one of the steals of the draft. He is the first white tailback drafted in the first round since Penn State’s John Cappelletti went 11th overall to the Rams in 1974.
9. Bengals. Wide receiver John Ross, Washington. Dude can fly. Back in March, Ross recorded the fastest 40-yard dash time (4.22) in NFL combine history. Exactly how are opponents supposed to contain Ross and A.J. Green?
10. Chiefs. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech. Coach Andy Reid had to give up a lot, including a first-rounder in the 2018 draft, to move up and get his quarterback of the future. Mahomes, the son of a former big-league pitcher, is raw — but also so, so talented.
11. Saints. Cornerback Marshon Lattimore, Ohio State. The Saints got it right, selecting a corner who’s capable of playing immediately and playing well. Next up for New Orleans: Go get another 10 defensive players capable of doing the same.
12.Texans. Quarterback Deshaun Watson, Clemson. Ugh. I get that the Browns acquired a 2018 first-rounder for swapping spots with the Texans. But why do I get the feeling Browns fans will rue the day the team passed on Watson? Brown fans rue many days.
13. Cardinals. Linebacker Haason Reddick, Temple. This guy is such a force behind the line of scrimmage, he wakes up with two tackles for loss on his stat sheet. The Cardinals’ defense just got better. Reddick, whose motor matches his talent, is scary good.
14.Eagles. Defensive end Derek Barnett, Tennessee. Eagles fans once famously booedSanta Claus. They have no reason to be upset with team decision-makers about this pick. Barnett is a relentless edge rusher. He broke Reggie White’s school sack record. Chew on that.
15.Colts. Safety Malik Hooker, Ohio State. The Colts have the great Andrew Luck at quarterback, but they have to get him the ball. Indianapolis dips into that talented Buckeyes defensive backfield to bolster a secondary that, well, is in dire need of bolstering.
16.Ravens. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey, Alabama. The Ravens have to get back to being the Ravens, which means dominating on defense. The past two seasons, Baltimore gave up 30 and 28 touchdown passes, respectively, the worst performances in team history.
17. Redskins. Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, Alabama. Although the Redskins are a mess in the front office and on the field, even they couldn’t botch this one. Allen, who attended high school near the team’s Northern Virginia training facility, fills a big need on the defensive line.
18.Titans. Cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, USC. Titans fans should be very happy with their team’s performance in the first round. After adding Davis at No. 5, the Titans get some help on defense and in the return game. Jackson played a big role in USC’s revival. Fight on!
19. Buccaneers. Tight end O.J. Howard, Alabama. The Buccaneers totally believe in Jameis Winston. They proved it again here by selecting a pass-catching tight end to help their young quarterback. Howard possesses the speed and size to be a matchup nightmare.
20. Broncos. Offensive tackle Garett Bolles, Utah. No one needs to tell Broncos boss John Elway that strong line play is a key to effective QB play. Bolles is the first offensive lineman the Broncos have selected in the first round since Ryan Clady in 2008. That worked out OK.
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21. Lions. Inside linebacker Jarrad Davis, Florida. Despite missing four games because of injuries, Davis still ranked among the Gators’ leaders in tackles and tackles for loss. The Lions are counting on him to provide a boost to a defense that must get better.
22. Dolphins. Defensive end Charles Harris, Missouri. Harris makes things happen off the edge: He had 28 QB knockdowns. With Pro Bowler Cameron Wake approaching the end of his career, the Dolphins acquired someone to groom as his eventual replacement.
23.Giants. Tight end Evan Engram, Ole Miss. The Giants have an abundance of riches in their receiving corps. Engram is more like a big wideout than a tight end. He joins wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shepard. Eli Manning should be pleased.
Only Undefeated Team In Nfl
24. Raiders. Cornerback Gareon Conley, Ohio State. Conley became the third Buckeyes defensive back to be drafted in the opening round. He has been accused of raping a woman in Cleveland, but he has not been arrested and no charges have been filed.
25. Browns. Defensive back Jabrill Peppers, Michigan. Well, the Browns gave new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams some impressive tools to work with. After kicking off the draft by selecting Garrett, Cleveland at this spot brings in help for the secondary.
26. Falcons. Defensive end Takkarist McKinley, UCLA. The Falcons traded with the Seattle Seahawks to get a pass rusher. Vic Beasley led the league with 15.5 sacks last season. No other Atlanta player had more than 4.5 sacks. That was obvious in the Super Bowl.
27. Bills. Cornerback Tre’Davious White, LSU. White and former teammate Jamal Adams, selected by the Jets with the sixth overall pick, were part of an LSU defense that gave up only 16 touchdowns last season — the fewest in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
28.Cowboys. Defensive end Taco Charlton, Michigan. Set at quarterback, running back and at every spot along the offensive line, the Cowboys need to build their defense. Dallas adds a player who consistently set the edge for Michigan and made plays. Jer-ruh was smiling.
29. Browns. Tight end David Njoku, Miami. To be fair, Njoku is a good football player. He impressed at Miami. That established, how could the Browns make three first-round selections and not take a quarterback? Last time we checked, it’s still a QB league. The Browns need one.
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30.Steelers. Outside linebacker T.J. Watt, Wisconsin. Pittsburgh got J.J. Watt’s little brother. T.J. won’t dominate opponents like his big bro, but he’ll make his share of big plays. And remember: The Steelers like linebackers who know how to get to the quarterback.
31. 49ers. Inside linebacker Reuben Foster, Alabama. San Francisco got pushed around too much on defense. That’s why coach Shanahan selected defensive end Solomon Thomas at third overall and Foster, Alabama’s fourth first-round pick in this draft, right here.
32. Saints. Offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk, Wisconsin. Drew Brees is still going strong after all these years. But at 38, the Saints need to do everything they can to protect him. Ramczyk was either at the top or near it on most draft boards.
It’s hard to accept that a full decade has darted by since the New England Patriots finished an NFL regular season undefeated.
And despite the loss of stalwart wide receiver Julian Edelman, the only real variable looming over New England 10 years later, is whether the Pats will finish this season undefeated, as well.
Perhaps a small subquestion should be — do they really want to?
New England has been down that turbulent road before, and found that breaking the 16-0 membrane left them more damaged than they thought. Maybe some see no correlation between a perfect season and their imperfect postseason. But some prominent Pats did see it, like Tedy Bruschi, among others.
The Pats find no comfort in being the greatest team ever to lose a Super Bowl. No redemption in 18-1.
Though the personnel has changed since 2007, they are still healthy at two vital spots — head coach and quarterback. In a decade they have found myriad ways to recover, reload and remain the sport’s powerhouse franchise. So, other than that shocking loss to their eternal tormentor, Eli Manning, not much has changed since ’07.
Tom Brady is 40, looks 30 and plays like he’s 25, and he is fresh off his fifth Lombardi Trophy and fourth Super Bowl MVP. Bill Belichick is still his ornery best, sure to stroll down the green gridiron carpet in his typical, hobo-chic attire. If the Patriots fail this season, it won’t be by dint of indifference, from the brass on down.
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So let’s look at their schedule, and see if they are primed for a 2007 redux, starting with six divisional games.
Buffalo? Rebuild. The Bills’ real problem isn’t talent, per se. Worse than a rotten roster, they don’t have a direction, an identity, a corporate coda they plan to follow from whistle to gun. And they never will if they keep whacking coaches every two years. The good news is they were recently purchased by a man who loves Buffalo and plans to keep the club there. The bad news is he has no plan beyond that.
New York? As a native of Gotham, I’m embarrassed to associate the name of the world’s greatest city with its worst pro football team. The Jets are doomed to challenge the 1992 Seattle Seahawks for the most impotent offense in NFL history. That Seattle team scored an appalling 140 points in 16 games, and the Jets don’t project to fare much better. As always, the Jets are living up to their morbid acronym — Just End The Season.
Miami? Somewhere in that NFL purgatory between rebuild and reload, they’re not good enough to be considered real contenders, and not poor enough for a ticket to the Sam Darnold sweepstakes. Some argue Miami is in a more ominous position than the Jets, longterm, because they don’t have a franchise QB — especially when Jay Cutler is an upgrade from your starter — and won’t have the draft position to grab one in April.
What’s scary is this Patriots club might be better than the ’07 iteration. Certainly the running game is more robust. Dion Lewis and James White run circles around Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk. They don’t have Randy Moss in his prime, but they added Brandin Cooks, who, if healthy, should bank at least 1,200 yards and 15 TDs. They also have an epic edge at TE, with Ben Watson replaced by Rob Gronkowski. And let’s just assume Brady at any age or wage is legendary.
There are three threats to crack the goose egg on the Pats’ record — two of them on the road — the Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Patriots played two of them last year. Tom Brady kept his career-long chokehold on Pittsburgh in the AFC title game. And Atlanta, we all know, was smashing the Patriots in the Super Bowl (up 28-3 in the third quarter) before their biblical choke. Exempt was Oakland, who may have been the best of all, if not for Derek Carr’s broken leg.
With all due respect to the Kansas City Chiefs, they aren’t beating the Patriots on opening night, at Foxborough, their first real game since they won the Super Bowl. And with equal respect due Houston, which is enduring a lot more than a football season, neophyte QB Deshaun Watson isn’t ready to dissect the chessboard Belichick designs. And despite all the hype and Hard Knocks coverage, Tampa Bay is a year away from real contention. As is Jameis Winston, who still makes too many head-scratching throws.
We won’t know if all this matters, until the Pats decide it does. We know Belichick has a maniacal focus on today’s game, practice, scrimmage or drill. There are no wasted movements in Foxborough. You don’t hear about holdouts, lockouts, contract strife or team-wide dissent. The team is a pristine reflection of its management, with each player, trainer and coach in corporate lockstep.
We often hear these nauseating sobriquets and rally cries, like “America’s Team” or “Just Win, Baby.” But no team adheres to an esprit de corps quite like New England, which not only espouses, but religiously follows the Patriot Way. It’s a lot more than a street name outside the practice facility.
If anyone can go 16-0, it’s the New England Patriots, who have the players and coaches to make it happen… and myriad reasons not too.
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Jason writes a weekly column for CBS Local Sports. He is a native New Yorker, sans the elitist sensibilities, and believes there’s a world west of the Hudson River. A Yankees devotee and Steelers groupie, he has been scouring the forest of fertile NYC sports sections since the 1970s. He has written over 500 columns for WFAN/CBS NY, and also worked as a freelance writer for Sports Illustrated and Newsday subsidiary amNew York. He made his bones as a boxing writer, occasionally covering fights in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, but mostly inside Madison Square Garden. Follow him on Twitter @JasonKeidel.