With 9 wins under their belts and a certain once-undefeated coach clearly worried that his 1972 Dolphins will no longer remain the sole undefeated squad in NFL annals, just what are the odds that one of their remaining 10 opponents will stop the Patriots' historic run? Let's check out the official Sports in a Can odds. We've provided some real-life examples along with the odds.
182,138,880,000,000 to 1
New York Jets (Week 15)
It's not just the fact that the Jets are 1-8 and will be lucky to win 2 more games. Or the fact that this win will make the Patriots just the second team ever to get to 14-0. Or even the fact that two 13-0 teams in the last 10 years have failed to win their 14th game. All of those factoids are just extra bits of motivation for the real reason the Patriots cannot lose this game: The fact that in Belichick's grudge match world, the Jets are public enemy #1. The 52 points the Patriots put up against the Redskins might look like New England was being kind when this one is over. (Is matching the 73-0 score of the 1940 NFL Championship Game a possibility?) The Vegas line will probably be the biggest we've ever seen. How many points would be too many for the average gambler? 25? 30? If the Jets were to somehow win this game it might qualify as the greatest upset in the history of sport.
Same odds as: A meteor landing on your house. (And if you're worried about a meteor landing on your house, you should feel relieved that the odds of that happening are over one hundred eighty-two trillion to one.)
300,000,000 to 1
Miami Dolphins (Week 16)
When Week 16 rolls around and the 14-0 Patriots face off against the hapless Dolphins, there will be plenty of stories written about how the Dolphins will be defending the honor of the 1972 edition and how in 1985 Miami was the only team to defeat the Bears and their 46 defense. Then the game will start and everyone will remember that the '07 Dolphins don't quite stack up with their '85 namesake. The '85 Dolphins went 12-4 thanks to Dan Marino's not-too-shabby 4,137 yards passing and 30 TDs. (Their Super Bowl journey was derailed by the Wild Card Patriots.) This year's edition? 0-9. And although one could look at their season and say that they've lost five games by 3 points and thus decide that they've been competitive, the eyes tell a different story. It's almost time to start wondering about the odds of the Dolphins becoming just the second winless team in NFL history.
Same odds as: Dying in a shark attack. Of course, the Dolphins have a better chance of winning this game than you do of dying in a dolphin attack.
40,000,000 to 1
at Buffalo Bills (Week 11)
Since Bill Belichick took over in 2000, the Patriots have lost just once in Buffalo-the infamous "they hate their coach" game following the release (and subsequent signing by Buffalo) of Lawyer Milloy. This team is infinitely better than that Patriots team, and 4-game winning streak or not, the Bills will not be stopping the Patriots' streak. This one got the flex Sunday night schedule treatment, and even if the officiating is as bad as it was in the Pats-Colts game, it still won't matter. Coming off a bye week with the stretch run staring them in the face, it's hard to imagine the Patriots dropping this one.
Same odds as: Contracting the human version of mad cow disease. And I'm not sure you can get that from eating buffalo.
13,200,000 to 1
AFC Divisional opponent
I don't care if it's San Diego, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Buffalo, or even Indianapolis-there is no way the Patriots finish the season with 16 wins only to lose their first playoff game. In their last three playoff seasons, the Patriots have won their home playoff opener by 21, 25, and 17 points. Is it really possible that this team would do worse than that?
Same odds as: Becoming an astronaut. Space is a little colder than the Northeast in January.
9,000,000 to 1
Philadelphia (Week 12)
at Baltimore (Week 13)
I'm giving both of these teams the same odds. Sure, one is at home and one is on the road, but other than that variable these two teams are remarkably similar. They win games they should lose, they lose games they should win. I can't figure either of them out. I just know that neither has a very good chance of beating the Patriots.
Same odds as: Getting struck by lightning. Twice.
3,000,000 to 1
NFC Champion (Super Bowl XLII)
18-0. That's what the Patriots would be entering this game if they don't lose between now and then. And only Dallas, Green Bay, or some other surprise team would be standing in their way. They've already beaten the Cowboys-on the road-by 21. Does anyone really think that they'll lose the biggest game of the season to a clearly inferior NFC team after losing 0 games on the way?
Same odds as: Dying from food poisoning. Even that dip you leave out for a week after the Super Bowl party is less dangerous than the NFC Super Bowl team will be.
662,000 to 1
AFC Championship opponent
This was going to read "Indianapolis Colts," and the odds were going to be a little lower. Then the Colts lost to the Chargers (after an improbable Adam Vinatieri miss) and worse than that they lost Dwight Freeney for the season. The Colts not only might not make it to this game, they might not make it out of the first round of the playoffs. So if not the Colts, then who? Pittsburgh? San Diego? A surprise team? None of them will be getting it done in Foxborough in January.
Same odds as: Winning an Olympic medal.
649,740 to 1
Pittsburgh (Week 14)
This one's intriguing. On paper it looks like the Steelers should have a chance to win this one. New England will be coming off a Monday Nighter in Baltimore while Pittsburgh will have tuned up with the far-less-physical-Bengals (after the playing the winless Dolphins the week before). The Steelers are allowing a mere 14 points per game and Ben Roethlisberger (2,020 yards passing, 22 TDs, 7 INTs) looks better than he has in years. But this team almost lost to Cleveland last week. And they've lost road games to Denver and Arizona, two teams who are a combined 8-10. Is this really the team that's going to end the streak?
Same odds as: Getting a royal flush in poker on the first five cards dealt. Start right after reading this. Deal out a few hands over and over until one of the hands is a royal flush. If you can do it before the Pittsburgh game, then maybe the Steelers will win.
88,000 to 1
At New York Giants (Week 17)
Here they are, the team with the best chance to beat the 2007 New England Patriots. And that team is named the New England Patriots. You read that right. The only team that can beat the Patriots is the Patriots. If they play their starters long enough in this game, 16-0 will be a reality. But the question is, just how long will they play the starters? And what will this game mean to the Giants? If it's a snowy night in Jersey and a 10-10 game in the 3rd quarter, who knows if Brady and company go the distance in this one. My guess is that Belichick will do whatever it takes to win this game. They'll have a bye the next week and can treat this one as one last playoff tune-up. It should be fun.
Same odds as: Your chances of dating a supermodel.
There you have it. The best odds any team has of beating the Patriots are 88,000 to 1-or, the same chance you have of dating a supermodel. So unless your name is Tom Brady, you don't have much chance of beating the Patriots this year, do you? And that's the whole point, isn't it?
NFL Week 11 Picks
CINCINNATI (-3) over Arizona
GREEN BAY (-9
Veteran