By Ian Harrison
SPORTSNET.CA They’re off to a 10-0 start, but how long will the Packers stay perfect? Can quarterback Aaron Rodgers keep Green Bay’s record unspoiled until the playoffs, or will the Pack turn into turkeys in today’s Thanksgiving game at Detroit? As this week’s edition of The List shows, NFL history is littered with teams who posted unbeaten starts to the season. But not all went on to lift a trophy, and only two stayed out of the loss column until the playoffs arrived.

Peyton Manning’s presence has always been a big factor for the Colts, as this season’s shocking stumbles have shown in such glaring fashion. But even back when they were contenders, the Colts couldn’t always get it done without their main horse taking the snaps. Indy started 14-0 en route to a Super Bowl appearance in 2009. Leading the Jets in the third quarter of week 15, rookie coach Jim Caldwell yanked Manning and several starters to give them some rest. New York scored 19 unanswered points to win 29-15, snapping Indy’s winning streak at 23 games. The Colts lost to Buffalo the next week and finished 14-2.

The team that took down the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV also enjoyed an extremely strong start to their season. The New Orleans Saints reeled off an NFC-record 13 consecutive wins to begin 2009, reinvigorating a fan base laid low by losing seasons and the after effects of Hurricana Katrina. The Saints finally stumbled at home to Dallas in week 14, then fell at home to the Bucs the following week and lost in Carolina on the last day of the season to end the year on a three-game slide. But New Orleans rebuilt and reeled off three straight playoffs wins to claim their first Super Bowl crown.

After veteran QB Kerry Collins replaced an injured Vince Young in a week one victory, the Tennessee Titans went on an unlikely run of results, posting a 10-0 start in the 2008 season. But the Titans were toppled by Brett Favre and the Jets the following game, losing 34-13 at home. Collins and Young shared snaps as Tennessee finished 3-3, with Collins getting the start as the Titans bowed out to Baltimore in their first playoff game.

Despite the disappointing way it ended, no other NFL team has enjoyed a year with as many consecutive wins as the 2007 Patriots, who went wire-to-wire in a 16-0 regular season and improved to 18-0 with a pair of playoff victories before losing a Super Bowl thriller to the New York Giants. Interestingly, the G-Men were the same squad the Pats took down in week 16 to complete their perfect record. Tom Brady’s team shrugged off the Spygate controversy that embroiled coach Bill Belichick and scored an NFL record 589 points in a season of spectacular domination.

Four years before he bested Colts QB Peyton Manning to give the Saints a Super Bowl title, Drew Brees helped the San Diego Chargers break up Indy’s season-opening 13-game win streak in 2005. The Colts flicked the switch after an 0-5 preseason and powered through opponents, never winning by less than a touchdown (and often a whole lot more) in their first 13 games. Indy rallied from 16-0 down to take a one-point lead into the fourth against the Chargers but couldn’t hold on, with Michael Turner’s 83-yard TD run giving San Diego a 26-17 win.

John Elway’s final NFL season started with an elevated winning streak in the Mile High City. With Elway working his usual magic and running back Terrell Johnson tearing through opposing defences, the Broncos galloped to 13 straight victories out of the gate before suffering their first loss to a 5-8 Giants team in the Big Apple. Denver was dumped in Miami the following week but got back on track and swept to their second straight Super Bowl title, knocking off Eugene Robinson’s Very Dirty Birds in the big game.

With Calgary-born quarterback Mark Rypien pinging TD passes to veteran receivers Art Monk and Gary Clark, the Washington Redskins rang up 11 straight victories at the start of their 1991Super Bowl season. After pounding Detroit 45-0 in the season opener, the Skins kept the streak alive with a narrow 33-31 win at Dallas in week two. But the Boys busted up Washington’s shot at perfection when they came to the capital in late November, winning 24-21. The Redskins fell at Philly in the season finale to finish 14-2 before romping through the playoffs and battering Buffalo in the Super Bowl.

A pair of NFC opponents, the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants, both posted 10-0 starts to the 1990 season before falling in week 11. Joe Montana’s Niners saw the search for 16-0 end in a loss to the LA Rams, while Phil Simms and the Giants were beaten by the Eagles. The two teams met in California the following Monday night, with San Fran winning 7-3. The Giants got revenge in the conference championship, grinding out a 15-13 win. And, thanks to Scott Norwood’s infamous wide right, Bill Parcells and the boys held off Buffalo to win the Super Bowl.

Few NFL teams have been as unbeatable as Da Bears, the 1985 edition of Chicago’s Monsters of the Midway. Led by crusty coach Mike Ditka, quirky quarterback Jim McMahon, Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton and the hulking presence of William ‘Refrigerator’ Perry, the Bears began the season with 12 consecutive wins before dropping a 38-24 decision to the Dolphins in an epic Monday night encounter in Miami. That was the only defeat Da Bears would suffer, as they finished the season with three more wins, pitched a pair of shutouts in the NFC playoffs and then pounded New England 46-10 to win Super Bowl XX.

Finally, there’s the team from Perfectville. The 1972 Miami Dolphins didn’t win as many games as the 2007 Patriots, but only because they didn’t have to, steamrolling through the 14-game regular season, claiming the AFC title with a win over Pittsburgh and waxing Washington in the Super Bowl to finish 16-0 and take home the trophy. After coach Don Shula’s squad lost pivot Bob Greise to an injury in week five, veteran Earl Morrall stepped in and kept the Miami machine rolling until Greise returned in the playoffs.