Community Faceoff: Going 16-0? Pats, Steelers downfall? Beast of the NFC East?

CBSSports.com Community members take on the hottest issues of the day.

thatlsk: I give the Saints a 90 percent chance of going undefeated. It would be 100 percent, but after last week's game, in which they struggled to beat the bumbling Redskins, I now believe that any team in the league can catch them on a bad day and give them a run. I'm still very confident, though, because they have a very favorable schedule down the stretch. Of their remaining games, I only see the Cowboys giving them a real challenge. And, I don't think going for 16-0 will hurt them at all. In fact, I think it will help them. For years, the Colts have gotten off to these great starts, clinched early, rested their players and struggled in their opening playoff game. And the reason for those struggles is that momentum is important in the NFL. It's hard to shut your team down over the final weeks of the season and think you can flip a switch and go back to firing on all cylinders after weeks of half playing. I think it's better to take the model of the 2007 Patriots; a team that played the season out fully, and didn't have the rust heading into the playoffs. The Saints should keep playing hard until the season is over.

AxeMurderer: Perfect? Mon Dieu! We're talking "perfection" after barely escaping an embarrassing loss to the lowly Redskins? I know, I know... spare me the trite "good teams find ways to win when they don't bring their 'A' game" banalities. Yes, New Orleans is going to go unbeaten. Atlanta is nothing without Matt Ryan (and this year they're not that much with him); Dallas will merely represent another opportunity to embarrass a high-profile "glamour" team (see: game vs. New England); and Tampa Bay is… well, Tampa Bay. Carolina should give the Saints a test, but they simply aren't good enough to keep up with a motivated Saints squad. Will going 16-0 hurt them in the post-season? Well, yes, in the sense that it will serve as added pressure to already exceedingly high expectations. Can they handle that pressure and boldly go where the 2007 Patriots couldn't... into history as only the second Super Bowl-era team to run the table? While there will be added pressure, that doesn't mean the Saints will succumb to the stifling burden of remaining perfect. Not only do there seem to be angels on the shoulders of these Saints (good-bye, Shaun Suisham, we hardly knew ye), but they seem to be playing fast-and-loose, worry-free… something the '07 Pats were not doing down the stretch.

thatlsk: With the Steelers, I think a huge part of their drop off is the loss of Troy Polamalu, I think the NFL, more than any other sport, is a team game. And I don't usually think one guy is bigger than the team, but in the case of Polamalu, his absence has been a huge part of the Steelers' struggles. Last year he played all 16 games, and the Steelers only gave up two plays of 40 yards or longer. In contrast, they've given up seven plays of that length in the last four games alone. Polamalu is so skilled and versatile that he is able to make up for the mistakes of other players on the Steelers' defense. Without him, those mistakes are being exploited. The Patriots, meanwhile, have a few different problems: their run game is lacking, their defense is spotty at best, and Bill Belichick's arrogance is catching up with him this season. On more than a few occasions, he's gone for it fourth down, giving the other team the opportunity to stay in the game... most notably against the Colts, but also last week against the Dolphins. If he kicks the field goal, the Dolphins need a TD to win. Those are the reasons these teams have dropped off.

AxeMurderer: We might actually be to blame for Patriots. Were our expectations too high? Were we really realistic in our thinking that Tom Terrific wasn't going to miss a beat, and that he'd simply put on his Superman cape and effortlessly toss 45-50 touchdown passes again? Did we believe their defensive shortcomings were going to simply vanish amid Bill Belichick's svengali-like scheming? Did we maybe put a little TOO much stock in the theory that if Matt Cassel could win 11 games after not having played since high school, that Brady should be able to generate double that (and who cares that the season is only 16-games long? As for Pittsburgh, I blame the liberal media. They were desirous of having a black head coach (Mike Tomlin) becoming a two-time Super Bowl champion. No? Okay. Offensively, Pittsburgh's passing more and running less, but overall, they're not far from where they were last year. Defensively? Quite another story. The run defense is stout as ever, but there are now gaping holes in the pass defense. Missing Troy Polamalu for seven games hurts, but you can't pin everything on his absence. When Jay Cutler, Matt Cassel and Bruce Gradkowski combine to torch you for seven touchdowns, no picks and a 71-percent completion percentage… you've got problems.

thatlsk: I'm going go with the Philadelphia Eagles; I think they're playing the best football of the three teams. The offense is explosive, the defense is playing strong, and I also trust Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid down the stretch. They've proven that they can win when it counts by making five NFC championships in ten years. The Giants, on the other hand, are up and down and all over the place. The running game, which was a huge piece when they were winning, is faltering. Brandon Jacobs is a shell of the player he was last year, and is averaging less than four yards a carry this season. Eli Manning says his foot injury isn't a factor, but I don't have faith that his health isn't affecting his play. And, finally, the defense which has always been a huge part of the Giants success, is struggling. As far as the Cowboys go, I just can't trust them to win in December. I don't know if it's poor coaching, if the guys are just tired, or if they have let this "December" issue get into their heads. But, until they can prove that they can win in the last month of the season, I can't trust them.

AxeMurderer: Philadelphia. Top to bottom, they're as complete as any team this side of New Orleans and Minnesota, and maybe most importantly, they've been there before… a number of times. Detractors will point to a lack of hardware in their trophy case, but this is a team that has proven it can get it done in December, and at least a week or so in January. The No. 3 seed is eminently doable, and it hardly requires a significant stretch of imagination to envision their attacking defense giving Brett Favre fits in a division-round match-up. Favre has been known to toss a pick or three when pressured… even in the playoffs. The Giants have issues, particularly (and surprisingly) on defense, and Philadelphia and Minnesota loom ominously on their docket. These are teams the G-men have struggled with over the past couple seasons. Losses there mean a 9-7 record at best, which might not be good enough to even make the dance. Dallas? Well, everyone knows of Dallas' December swoons. The 'Boys were dealt a tough hand to play, with games against San Diego, New Orleans, nemesis Washington, and Philadelphia remaining. Dallas has beaten one team with a winning record this year. Think they can do it three times in four weeks?