Patriots: How perfect are they?

0 Comments | USA TODAY, October, 2004 | by Tom Pedulla

FOXBORO, Mass. -- When an NFL team opens with a prolonged winning streak, former Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula and his players from the 17-0 team of 1972 root unabashedly for the next opponent.

When a loss almost inevitably comes, champagne flows.

Those players are understandably proud to belong to the only team to sweep a 14-game regular-season schedule, add two playoff victories, then top it off with an NFL championship, a 14-7 conquest of the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII. They kicked off the next season successfully, giving them a share of the league record with 18 consecutive victories, before a 12-7 loss at Oakland.

The latest team to approach the Dolphins' achievement is the New England Patriots, favored by nearly two touchdowns Sunday against...

Premium Content Partnership | MyWire provides an in-depth online archive library of reference works. MyWire

 

BNET TalkbackShare your ideas and expertise on this topic

Please add your comment:

  1. You are currently: a Guest |
  2.  

Basic HTML tags that work in comments are: bold (<b></b>), italic (<i></i>), underline (<u></u>), and hyperlink (<a href></a)