Caleb Wolfe
Associate Sports Editor
After three weeks the NFL season is off to a strong start, with only minor COVID-19 hiccups. The three week mark also serves as an important indicator for how the rest of the season may pan out. According to the website Odds Shark, since the year 1980 NFL teams who start the season with a 3-0 record have a 75.5% chance of making the playoffs. Not to mention that the percentage is likely to rise with the expansion of the NFL’s playoff format starting this year. For those reasons, let’s take a brief look at all the NFL organizations who feature an undefeated record.
Seattle Seahawks:
The Seahawks are a prime example to headline this list. Not only are they one of the best teams in the NFC, but the assumption that they are playoff bound is not a bold one. Russell Wilson is continuously proving to be an elite quarterback, and he is already making a bid for the title of MVP. Though the defense is a bit shaky, the addition of Jamal Adams is making a huge impact. Although the Seahawks reside within the toughest division in football, after three weeks of play this team looks strong.
Green Bay Packers:
The Packers have been performing at a consistently good level for longer than most NFL organizations. Therefore it’s little surprise they have started the season undefeated. Despite Green Bay’s outstanding performance in recent years, they have struggled to surpass the final hurdle, being the best. However the Packers defeated a strong Saints team on Sunday, which helped further them towards that goal. Aaron Rodgers showed that he has a ton of gas left in his veteran tank. Additionally, the Packers have also put up an astonishing 122 points already this season, a team record according to the NFL website.
Chicago Bears:
If any undefeated team is going to break the mold and miss the playoffs, Chicago is most likely to be that team. While there was no question that the Bears were a good team going into the season, their record is slightly misleading. They’ve played three incredibly weak teams to start the season, and each of those games has been relatively close (let’s not forget that Detroit would have beat them if it were not for a tragic dropped touchdown pass). Meanwhile the Bears still have to face a Tom Brady led Buccaneers team, the Los Angeles Rams, the New Orleans Saints, the Tennessee Titans, and the previously mentioned Green Bay Packers, twice. If they can overcome the difficult games ahead, they’ll make the playoffs. The key word there being “if”.
Pittsburgh Steelers:
Another undefeated team with a misleading record is the Pittsburgh Steelers. They’re in a similar situation to the Bears, as they face many difficult teams throughout the rest of the season. Most notably they have to play the Baltimore Ravens twice, which are two games that will be tough for them to win. However the Steelers’ odds look slightly better than that of the Chicago Bears. Ben Roethlisberger is coming off a season long injury, and he looks stable considering such. The team has notable issues on both sides of the ball, but nothing too detrimental. Therefore the Steelers’ odds of grabbing at least the 6th or 7th seed look good.
Tennessee Titans: The Tennessee Titans are continuing their Cinderella story from last season, as they begin this season undefeated. However unlike other teams mentioned prior, there’s not much to say about the Titans. Both the offense and the defense are doing their job each game. It also helps that the AFC South is a lackluster division.
Kansas City Chiefs: The reigning Super Bowl Champions are looking strong as ever. They had a questionably close game against the Chargers in week two, but shutting down a Ravens team that ranked first in the AFC last season was a phenomenal way to reclaim dominance. Patrick Mahomes is still a machine. He throws passes that look inhuman, and has thrown a handful of touchdown passes already this season. Similar to how the Chiefs beat the Baltimore Ravens last week; the Chiefs look ready to beat them for the top seed in the AFC this season.
Buffalo Bills: The last team that remains undefeated after three weeks of play is the Buffalo Bills. You read that right, not the New England Patriots, the Buffalo Bills. The Patriots are worth bringing up though because they will be the biggest challenge for the Bills. If they want to continue to lead the division they are going to have to beat the Patriot at least once, if not both times they face off.
