In the history of the National Football League, only the 1972 Miami Dolphins have won every game in a season. But those veterans fear that they will have to watch their piece of sporting history snatched from under their noses.
At about this time of most years, some of the surviving 1972 Dolphins gather for a champagne celebration of the end of the latest contender’s attempt to join them on that pinnacle of perfection.
Two seasons ago they had to wait a little longer than usual, when the New England Patriots won every game until the Super Bowl itself. But they lost to the New York Giants as immortality beckoned.
This year, with Super Bowl XLIV to be staged at the Dolphins’ home stadium in February, there are still two unbeaten teams, and the possibility exists that the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints could each take a perfect record into the season’s climax.
One would be bound to finish the season with a 19-0 won-lost record and the winners would arguably surpass Miami’s achievement, given that the 1972 season was two games shorter.
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The Colts and Saints have both won all 11 regular-season games so far, with five weeks to go. They avoid each other for the remainder of the regular season and, because they are in different conferences, they cannot meet in the play-offs.
Assuming that they stay unbeaten, both will receive byes in the first round and home-field advantage in the next two rounds before travelling to Miami.
For the Saints, taking the Vince Lombardi Trophy home to a city that still bears the scars of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 would be the feel-good story of this or any other season.
For the Colts, Peyton Manning, their outstanding quarterback, would be looking to go 2-1 ahead of his brother, Eli, of the New York Giants, in Super Bowl victories by adding an overdue second title to his team’s breakthrough win, also in Miami, in 2007.
But all the talk of perfection remains premature. Last season the Tennessee Titans won their first ten games only to stumble across the finish line and lose at home in the first play-off round. The Saints have a tougher remaining schedule than the Colts, who may even rest players once they have guaranteed top seeding. They have already won the AFC South division title.
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“We won’t deviate too far from what we’ve done previously,” Jim Caldwell, the Colts head coach, said. “It’s something we’re going to assess if we achieve it, and that’s a big if.”
Dwight Freeney, the defensive end, agreed. “You’re not going to win any trophies for 16-0,” he said. “The most important thing is being 3-0 in the play-offs.”