Who will be NFL's last undefeated team standing in 2021 season?
The NFL's group of undefeated teams is down to five – and thinning by the week.
The Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Rams are the lone outfits to exit the first month of the season unblemished. The Rams and Cardinals will meet Sunday, guaranteeing that there will be at least one fewer unbeaten team after Week 4 – but at least one to make it that far, as well. And the Panthers, Broncos and Raiders all face stiff tests that could result in their first blemish of the year.
With that in mind, we asked Paste BN Sports' NFL reporters, columnists and editors:
Who will be the NFL's last undefeated team standing?
Their answers:
Jarrett Bell
The Rams, who laid it on thick in toppling the defending Super Bowl champs last weekend. Matthew Stafford's big arm has added a deep-ball dimension to Sean McVay's explosive offense and with Aaron Donald still wrecking game plans with his dominance in the trenches, LA's defense is not to be toyed with. McVay has never lost to the Cardinals (8-0), so if that pattern continues, a stiffer test may loom in Week 5 at Seattle. If they can win these next two divisional games in the ultra-competitive NFC West, there's a clear path to 8-0 for the Rams as the next three opponents -- the Giants, Lions and Texans -- are a combined 1-8 at the moment. The Raiders are also intriguing after scoring quality wins against the Ravens and Steelers. Derek Carr has been on fire, but with two of their next three on the road against division opponents, there is much to prove.
Jori Epstein
The Cardinals. I actually entered the season skeptical that Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury and quarterback Kyler Murray would reach their potential. I wanted them to, but the Kingsbury-Murray tandem that seemed so tantalizing from its draft day coup instead reeked of inconsistency in its initial two years. Now? Murray is completing 76.5% of passes, creating plays through the air and on the ground. The Cardinals defense is containing the passing game (eighth best in league) and stenting third downs (second best in league), which will be key to upsetting a hot Rams team this week. The Rams, who knocked off Tom Brady and the Buccaneers last week, are undoubtedly worthy of a deep postseason run. But give me Murray as the cheat code against Rams star defensive tackle Aaron Donald, and a defense that could stifle Derrick Henry’s attack a chance at pulling a fast one on McVay.
Mike Jones
I'm going to go with the Rams. They'll give NFC West rival Arizona its first loss this week, and then if they can beat the Seahawks in Seattle on a short turnaround, the road gets easier until a Nov. 7 meeting with Tennessee, which also is a winnable game, but does feature a playoff team. And then comes two tough matchups against San Francisco and Green Bay. So, I feel like L.A. can stack some wins until that point. They really have the most well-rounded and potent team right now. I worry about their depth a little, but if healthy, Sean McVay's squad is a nightmare matchup for a lot of teams. None of the other remaining unbeaten teams have as favorable a month of October AND the firepower necessary to mount a deep undefeated run.
Mike Freeman
This is one of the more difficult questions to answer so far this season, and any one of the remaining teams could be the answer, but it’s likely the Rams for one reason: they can score on anybody. Receiver Cooper Kupp is having a Randy Moss type season and quarterback Matthew Stafford suddenly looks like Tom Brady. They aren’t a perfect team but they’re the closest we have to perfection thus far this year.
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz
Much as I'd love to deliver a contrarian take here, I picked for the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders all to suffer their first loss this week. Such a scenario would leave the victor of the Arizona Cardinals-Los Angeles Rams game as the last undefeated team standing. Sean McVay is 8-0 against the Cardinals during his tenure, and only one of those wins has come by fewer than 10 points. Maybe this is the year that Arizona breaks through, but even another MVP-caliber performance from Kyler Murray might not be enough to counter the Rams' pressure and match the output of Matthew Stafford and Co.
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