Perfection is a term rarely used when speaking of the National Football League. In fact, only one team, the 1972 Miami Dolphins, has ever finished the season with an undefeated and perfect record.
In a time where teams seem more concerned with resting for the playoffs than the number in their loss column, we may never again see a perfect season.
Take for example this year’s Indianapolis Colts. Through 15 weeks, they stood unbeaten and 14-0, and only two regular season and three playoff wins away from the second perfect season in NFL history.
However, with a 15-10 third quarter lead over the New York Jets in week 16, Colts’ head coach Jim Caldwell removed quarterback Peyton Manning and multiple other starters from the game.
The Jets went on to score 19 straight points and defeated Indianapolis 29-15.
After the game, the team seemed unaffected by the loss. Coach Caldwell even stated that a 16-0 regular season was not one of the team’s goals.
“The most important thing for us is obviously to make sure we're operating on all cylinders come the playoffs,” Caldwell said. “That's key. That's important. That’s our focus.”
Indianapolis again rested their starters in week 17, and lost 30-7 to the 6-10 Buffalo Bills.
The New Orleans Saint also pushed their record to 13-0 before losing their final three games, two of which to non-playoff teams.
Not only does a team resting its starters in preparation for the playoffs affect the record books, it also affects the playoff hopes of other teams.
Entering week 17 of the 2009-10 season, five AFC teams: New York, Baltimore, Denver, Houston, and Pittsburgh, stood at 8-7, and were among seven teams competing for the final two spots in the playoffs.
For New York and Baltimore, it was win and you’re in. The other five teams however, needed help.
In order to make the playoffs, the Texans needed a Bengals win over the Jets, and the Steelers needed a New England win over Buffalo, and also a Cincinnati win over New York.
The only problem for these two teams was that New England and Cincinnati had already qualified for the playoffs and won their division, thus rendering their games virtually meaningless and giving them little incentive to win.
Steelers’ linebacker LaMarr Woodley went as far as saying that the Patriots and Bengals would “lay down” for their opponents in order to keep Pittsburgh out of the playoffs.
Both New England and Cincinnati lost, eliminating the 9-7 Steelers.
A similar scenario occurred in 2007 when the 10-6 Cleveland Browns needed a Colts victory over the 9-6 Tennessee Titans in order to secure a postseason birth.
Having already earned a first-round bye and home-field advantage, Indianapolis again rested their regulars, leading to a Tennessee win, and denying Cleveland their first playoff appearance in five years.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recently addressed the issue, stating that it is something he would ask the NFL Competition Committee to take a look at.
While Goodell says he does not blame the Colts for their decision to rest their starters, he also stated in an interview with CBS that the league would consider various incentives to prevent teams from benching starters.
Such incentives could include draft position. Goodell also stated that teams would need to make it clear to the public which players would not be playing, similar to what is done with injury reports.
While some contend that it’s important to keep the starters rested and healthy, others would argue that these teams forget how to win and come out flat by the time they play their first postseason game.
The only other team to run the table in the regular season was the 2007 New England Patriots, who continued to play their starters even after securing home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
The Patriots won all 16 regular-season games plus their first two playoff games and were a freak helmet-catch away from winning the super bowl and going undefeated.
There is also the issue of the team’s supporters. Fans pay money expecting to see the stars on the team play, and expecting to see their team put their best effort into winning.
Why should fans pay to watch games less competitive than the four exhibition games that took place five months ago?
If teams like the 1-15 St. Louis Rams or the 2-14 Detroit Lions go out every week fighting to win despite knowing a win could hurt their draft status, shouldn’t teams like the 14-0 Colts and 13-0 Saints play by the same standard?
Just saying.
