NFL has four 7-0 teams for the first time in its history

1st time in NFL history 4 teams undefeated at 7-0

The Carolina Panthers’ overtime victory Monday night made it official: The NFL has four 7-0 teams for the first time in its history.

The league has had only one undefeated team in its modern era, of course: the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Odds are that all four of this year’s candidates will trip at some point. How will it happen?

Let’s take a closer look at each team positives and negatives.

New England Patriots

Positives: Quarterback Tom Brady’s MVP-caliber performance has lifted the entire offense; it is the league’s most efficient and least likely to blunder.
Negatives: The Patriots’ quality and depth at cornerback, following the offseason departures of Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner, remains in question.Opponents have run well on the Patriots and the 4.2 yards they have allowed per carry ranks No. 21. But in a passing league, the Patriots remain most vulnerable in back-end coverage.

Cincinnati Bengals

Positives: The Bengals have one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses. Their passing game is producing an average of 7.87 yards per dropback, second highest in the league, and Gio Bernard’s average of 5.63 yards per carry ranks third among qualified running back
Negatives: They are allowing 5.01 yards per rush, second worst in the NFL, and their tackling is in question. Running backs are averaging 1.93 yards after contact against them, also the league’s second-worst mark. The best way to beat an explosive offense is to keep it off the field.

Denver Broncos

Positives: The Broncos have the best defense in the NFL. Their defensive EPA, an advanced analytics measure of expected points added over the course of the season, is 63.2 — more than 20 points higher than the league’s second-best team
Negatives: Payton Manning touchdown-interception ratio remains a league-low 0.64, and 20 quarterbacks have a better QBR than his 52.0. It’s rare for a team to go unscathed this long while led by a quarterback with Manning’s numbers. According to Elias Sports Bureau, his minus-4 touchdown-interception differential is the second worst by a 7-0 quarterback since 1950.

Carolina Panthers

Positives: The Panthers defense is allowing 4.69 yards per play, second best in the NFL, and has made up for any mistakes by forcing 17 turnovers, tied for third best in the league
Negatives: Cam Newton’s overall completion percentage of 54.2 ranks No. 32 in the NFL. It’s true that the Panthers have the NFL’s fifth-highest drop percentage (5.2), but Newton has either under- or overthrown his receivers on 23.7 percent of his throws — the third-highest mark in the league.