For the first time since 1990, the NFL has two unbeaten teams this deep into the season. The Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints are 10-0.
Even juicier, Indianapolis has won 19 in a row, two short of the league mark set by the New England Patriots last season.
And even better — at least for the Colts — is their opponent today: the Houston Texans. To say Indianapolis has owned Houston since the Texans were born in 2002 is like saying Peyton Manning isn’t a bad quarterback.
The Colts have won 14 of their 15 contests, and their 20-17 victory this month was typical: Manning and his mates made the big plays and Houston didn’t, including Kris Brown missing a 42-yard field goal as time expired.
Can the Colts sweep Houston within a three-week span?
“It’s different. I don’t remember the last time we played a team this close to back to back,” Manning said. “They had a bye, so they’ll be fresh. We’re coming off two tough, emotional games, so it will be a challenge.”
Maybe more of a challenge for the Texans, no? Like, say, climbing Mount Everest?
“It’s going to be a big test for us,” star receiver Andre Johnson said. “We played them close the last few times we’ve played them and hopefully Sunday we can get over the hump and get a win.”
New England is at New Orleans tomorrow in the Patriots’ latest opportunity to spoil an unbeaten season. They almost ended Indianapolis’ spotless record two weeks ago in a high-scoring game.
Another shootout is expected, particularly with the Saints averaging 36.9 points a game and on course to score 590 this season, one more than the 2007 Patriots did.
Those Patriots are the only team to complete an unbeaten 16-0 regular season, and who better than them to ruin the Saints’ perfect record?
“I remember the kind of confidence we had taking the field as an undefeated team and knowing that if we played a good game it was going to be almost impossible for teams to beat us,” Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said. “If you don’t play well you do get beat, as evidenced by what happened in the Super Bowl that year.”
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For almost 30 minutes, Vitomir Maricic did not take a breath. Face down in a pool, surrounded by anxious onlookers, the Croatian freediver fought spasming pain to redefine what doctors thought was possible. When he finally surfaced, he had smashed the previous Guinness World Record for the longest breath-hold underwater by nearly five minutes. However, even with the help of pure oxygen before the attempt, it had pushed him to the limit. “Everything was difficult, just overwhelming,” Maricic, 40, told reporters, reflecting on the record-breaking day on June 14. “When I dive, I completely disconnect from everything, as if I’m not even there.
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