INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, 17 December 2005 — The Colts go shooting for history, a Sun Belt team (Tampa Bay) travels to the Snow Belt (New England) and one the league’s most storied rivalries resumes when Dallas faces Washington.
Baltimore needs one more win against San Diego in week 15 to go 14-0 which would equal the league’s record for most wins to start a season.The 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only unbeaten, untied team in the 86-year history of the NFL. They completed a 14-0 regular season with a 16-0 win over the Colts, who were then based in Baltimore. Miami then won three postseason games for a perfect 17-0 mark.
“I like history. I appreciate it. But I think it is best to not look too far ahead,” Colts coach Tony Dungy said. The Chargers desperately need a win tomorrow but they are playing a confident Baltimore team that has also clinched home-field advantage in the AFC. The Chargers are scrambling for a playoff berth and nearly won here last December.
Winning the Super Bowl is the goal of Dungy and quarterback Peyton Manning. But becoming the second team in league history to have a perfect season would be quite a legacy.
The 1934 Chicago Bears were 13-0 heading into the NFL championship game and lost to the New York Giants, 30-13, ending their perfect run. The 1998 Denver Broncos were 13-0 before they lost to the Giants, 20-16, en route to a 14-2 season. They went on to win the Super Bowl. The Colts have a tougher task than Miami because they must win two more regular-season games — 16 instead of 14.
After hosting the Chargers, Indianapolis will play at Seattle, which has the best record in the NFC, and close with a home game against Arizona. The two-time defending champions New England Patriots can clinch their third straight AFC East title and fourth in five years under coach Bill Belichick with a win on Saturday at home against Tampa Bay.
New England needs a win or a loss by Miami, who host the New York tomorrow.
The Buccaneers, who won the first Super Bowl title in franchise history in 2002 under coach Jon Gruden, share first place in the NFC South with Carolina, but hold the tiebreaker advantage due to a better division record.
The Patriots are riding the arm of Tom Brady and the legs of Corey Dillon and Deion Branch. The Bucs are relying on quarterback Chris Simms, rookie running back Carnell “Cadillac” Williams and veteran Joey Galloway. Brady threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a score in a 35-7 win at Buffalo last week. He has four 300-yard games this season.
However, Brady, who has a 65-19 record as a starter, including playoffs, has never faced the Buccaneers, who have allowed just 209 points in 13 games. Only Chicago and Indianapolis have yielded fewer points.
Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber is stating quite a case for the Pro Bowl with four interceptions in his last two games. He is the only cornerback in NFL history to record more than 20 career interceptions and 20 sacks.
Today, Barber will match up against Branch, the Super Bowl XXXIX Most Valuable Player who leads the Patriots with 70 catches for 883 yards. Dallas seeks to avenge a painful loss when they visit the Washington Redskins in a battle of NFC East rivals tomorrow.
Ex-NFL Players Die in
Los Angeles Car Crash
Former NFL tackle Darrell Russell and another ex-football player were killed on Thursday when their speeding car veered out of control on a Los Angeles street — hitting a curb, fire hydrant, two trees, a newsstand and light pole before slamming into an empty bus.
Authorities said Russell and Mike Bastianelli, who starred alongside Russell at the University of Southern California, were rushed to local hospitals after the 6 a.m. (9 a.m. EST-1400 GMT) crash and died there of massive injuries.
“This was a very serious car accident. The car was traveling at a very high rate of speed,” Los Angeles Police Lt. Paul Vernon said.
Local news reports said Russell and Bastianelli, who were both 29, may have been racing another vehicle, but Vernon said investigators had not confirmed that. He said autopsies would determine if either man was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash.
