Chicago's 41-10 win over San Francisco played second fiddle in the Week 8 orchestra of hype to the Colts-Broncos game, and rightly so. After all, why talk about a mismatch when an instant classic is unfolding in the national spotlight?
But the Bears' 7-0 start continues to intrigue the pigskin historians among us.
They retain the top spot in our Dominant Dozen, and dominance has definitely been their theme. Chicago leads the league in scoring offense and scoring defense, something that's extremely rare – it has been done only four times over an entire season in the Super Bowl Era: the 1967 L.A. Rams, the 1969 Vikings, the undefeated 1972 Dolphins and the Super Bowl champion 1996 Packers.
The Bears have also won five of their first seven games by 25 points or more. That's also rare: In the other 107 games this season, the entire rest of the league has posted just 11 wins of 25 points or greater.
We could debate Epstein's 12-team list at a later time, but here's how many 25-point wins (including playoffs) each of his teams posted during their seasons of dominance:
- 1955 Browns – 3
- 1958 Colts – 5
- 1962 Packers – 6
- 1971 Cowboys – 3
- 1972 Dolphins – 1
- 1979 Steelers – 5
- 1985 Bears – 4
- 1989 49ers – 5
- 1991 Redskins – 6
- 1994 49ers – 5
- 1996 Packers – 7
- 1999 Rams – 6
With their five blowouts, the 2006 Bears are already in the ballpark with the most dominant teams ever. But the 12 teams above also had another thing in common: They all ended the season with a championship.
Can Da Bears get there, too? Stay tuned ...
THE DOMINANT DOZEN
1. CHICAGO (previous rank: same)
Last week: The Bears beat Kansas State ... oops, San Francisco, 41-10.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Four of Chicago's next six are on the road, and only the Dolphins have a losing record.
Next: vs. Miami. Get ready for endless references to the Dolphins' win over the Bears in 1985 ... no word on whether Marino plans to suit up for the 'Fins Sunday.
2. INDIANAPOLIS (previous rank: same)
Last week: The Indy offense was as good as the defense was bad. The result was a 34-31 win in Denver.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Peyton Manning's detractors say he fattens up on lowly opponents, but against quality opponents in 2005 and 2006, he's 232 of 372 (62.3%) for 2,939 yards, 17 TDs, 7 INTs and an impressive passer rating of 94.4.
Next: at New England. Have these teams met before?
3. NEW ENGLAND (previous rank: 5)
Last week: Patriots mastermind Bill Belichick was four steps ahead of Vikings rookie coach Brad Childress in a 31-7 statement game.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Like a tricky question on the math SATs, Tom Brady's passer rating has increased every week since Week 2: 73.9, 78.4, 89.9, 91.2, 112.4, 115.6.
Next: vs. Indy (Sunday night). Gillette Stadium workers are preparing their Peyton Manning voodoo dolls as we speak.
4. DENVER (previous rank: 3)
Last week: Denver's defense finally sprung a leak in a 34-31 loss to Indy.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Broncos legend Terrell Davis is among the new Hall of Fame nominees this year. He's not even one of the top 40 ground gainers of all time, but in eight playoff games, he averaged 142.5 yards and 1.5 TDs.
Next: at Pittsburgh. It's a rematch of the AFC title game ... this time in Steelers Country.
5. N.Y. GIANTS (previous rank: 6)
Last week: The Giants controlled Tampa Bay on both sides of the ball in a windy 17-3 win.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Backup RB Brandon Jacobs is a money man – of his 89 career carries, more than half (49) have gone for first downs or touchdowns.
Next: vs. Houston.
6. SAN DIEGO (previous rank: 7)
Last week: The offense scored five touchdowns in a 38-24 home win over the Rams.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: If the Chargers run the table and win their final nine games, Marty Schottenheimer would become the fifth coach in NFL history with 200 wins, joining legends Curly Lambeau, George Halas, Don Shula and Tom Landry.
Next: vs. Cleveland.
7. BALTIMORE (previous rank: 8)
Last week: The Ravens silenced some doubters with a 35-22 win in New Orleans.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Steve McNair's monthly passer rating has declined steadily since the start of last season: 94.9 (Sept. '05), 85.6 (Oct.), 83.4 (Nov.), 78.5 (Dec.), 78.3 (Sept. '06), 62.8 (Oct.).
Next: vs. Cincinnati.
8. NEW ORLEANS (previous rank: 4)
Last week: The
Saints' magic went marching out in a home loss to the Ravens.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Drew Brees tossed 3 interceptions for just the second time in his last 39 starts.
Next: at Tampa Bay.
9. ATLANTA (previous rank: 14)
Last week: The flip-flopping Falcons looked like contenders again in a road win over the Bengals.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Michael Vick tossed three TDs and ran for 55 yards against Cincy. The Falcons are 15-5 since 2004 when Vick runs for 50+ yards, 13-10 when he does not.
Next: at San Francisco.
10. JACKSONVILLE (previous rank: 16)
Last week: Led by QB David Garrard, Jacksonville followed a truly horrifying loss in Houston with a treat of a win in Philly, 13-6.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: The Jaguars have allowed 5.75 PPG in their four wins, but a whopping 28.0 PPG in their three losses.
Next: vs. Baltimore.
11. KANSAS CITY (previous rank: 17)
Last week: The Chiefs beat the Seahawks in a reunion of their defunct AFC West rivalry, 35-28.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: After averaging 5.2 YPC in 2005, RB Larry Johnson has managed just 3.7 in 2006.
Next: at St. Louis.
12. DALLAS (4-3, previous rank: 18)
Last week: Ro-mo! Ro-mo! Ro-mo! The kissin' Cowboys started their new era with a 35-14 explosion in Carolina.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Dallas is one of two teams to rank in the NFL's top five in total offense (4th) and total defense (5th); San Diego is the other.
Next: at Washington.
THE TEPID TWENTY
13. MINNESOTA (4-3, previous rank: 9) – WR Williamson on pace to lead punchless pass offense with paltry 726.8 receiving yards
14. CINCINNATI (4-3, previous rank: 10) – Chad Johnson TD broke four-game scoreless streak, longest since rookie year in 2001
15. PHILADELPHIA (4-4, previous rank: 12) – The .500 Eagles still have road trips to Indy, Dallas, Washington and the Giants
16. CAROLINA (4-4, previous rank: 11) – Coach John Fox leads NFL in gum chews per minute (96.42 GCPMs)
17. ST. LOUIS (4-3, previous rank: 15) – Marc Bulger on pace to throw 27 TDs and 2 INTs
18. SEATTLE (4-3, previous rank: 13) – Seattle D is healthy ... but terrible, allowing 32.2 PPG in last five contests
19. N.Y. JETS (4-4, previous rank: same) – Jets are 0-3 vs. quality opponents (teams over .500)
20. GREEN BAY (3-4, previous rank: 23) – Favre has averaged 32 passes in three wins, 41.7 in four losses
21. PITTSBURGH (2-5, previous rank: 20) – Last Super Bowl winner to go 2-5 the following season was the 1999 Broncos
22. TAMPA BAY (2-5, previous rank: 21) – Brutal: Bucs' first seven games all vs. teams currently .500 or better
23. WASHINGTON (2-5, previous rank: 22) – More brutal: Eight of Skins' last nine are against teams with winning records
24. BUFFALO (2-5, previous rank: same) – Bills fans spent bye week wistfully recalling the Alex Van Pelt Era
25. TENNESSEE (2-5, previous rank: 26) – Rookie QB Vince Young has completed just 47.4 percent of his passes, but he's 2-2 as a starter
26. CLEVELAND (2-5, previous rank: 28) – Browns have allowed just eight TDs in their last five games
27. HOUSTON (2-5, previous rank: same) – Texans, who haven't won on the road since December 2004, visit Giants this week
28. SAN FRANCISCO (2-5, previous rank: 25) – Four of Niners' last seven losses have been by 27+ points
29. DETROIT (1-6, previous rank: 30) – QB Jon Kitna averages 247 passing YPG; Lions averaged 178 YPG in 2005
30. OAKLAND (2-5, previous rank: 31) – An amazing 22.2 percent of Raiders' pass plays have ended with INT or sack; Browns are distant second at 14.2 percent
31. MIAMI (1-6, previous rank: 32) – Dolphins were 7th in takeaways last year but are tied for 28th this year
32. ARIZONA (1-7, previous rank: 29) – The Cardinals in the cellar ... it just feels right
