The New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts, and the Denver Broncos stand at 6-0 through the NFL’s first seven weeks of games and seem to be rolling along nicely. All three teams seem to be legitimate playoff contenders but could one slip up in a big way?

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS:

The New Orleans Saints have outscored their opponents by 111 points this season in their six games and have scored more than 40 in four of those games. They also have won three games at home and three on the road. Drew Brees has played almost flawless football and is looking like he could be the league MVP. He has thrown for 1,698 yards and 14 touchdowns with five interceptions.

Brees has had a lot of options to throw to this year but his number one target is Marcus Colston, who has 30 receptions for 466 yards and five touchdowns. Devery Henderson, Jeremy Shockey, Robert Meachum, Lance Moore, and Heath Evans all have also scored touchdowns in the passing game this year for the Saints.

New Orleans also has a good rushing attack. They don’t have one standout but their three-man running back by committee seems to be working just fine. It also gives the Saints depth at the position if one of the running backs goes down. Mike Bell has rushed 72 times for 343 yards and two touchdowns. Pierre Thomas has 56 rushes for 314 yards and three touchdowns and the explosive Reggie Bush has 45 carries for 175 yards and three touchdowns.

Their defense has forced a lot of turnovers and that is led by Darren Sharper, who has six interceptions, three of which he scored a touchdown on. The Saints also have 14 sacks in six games and are led by Charles Grant, who has four.

Their signature win was two weeks ago when they beat the then undefeated New York Giants 48-27. But last week the Saints showed they could come from behind when they turned a 24-3 deficit into a 46-34 win over the Miami Dolphins.

Their 10 remaining games feature four tough games. They play divisional rival Atlanta twice, New England and Dallas. Other than that the Saints should be able to sail by their other six opponents. I’d expect New Orleans to go 14-2 in the regular season and win the NFC South.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS:

The Indianapolis Colts are just behind the Saints in terms that they have outscored their six opponents by 102 points. The Colts have won four road games in their first six, so it looks like the Colts could be in store for something great this year.

Peyton Manning might be the only person who can keep Drew Brees from winning the MVP this year because of the numbers he is putting up. He has passed for 1,880 yards and 15 touchdowns with four interceptions.

Manning has a lot of weapons in the passing game but his main two targets are Reggie Wayne, who has 39 receptions for 542 yards and five touchdowns, and Dallas Clark, who has 38 receptions for 485 yards and three touchdowns. Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon have also stepped up to give Manning other options since Anthony Gonzalez has been out all season so far.

The Colts running game has not been fantastic but Joseph Addai has 82 rushes for 274 yards and four touchdowns. Addai also has 27 receptions on the year. Rookie RB Donald Brown has had a better yards per carry average and has slowly been getting more touches. He has 46 rushes for 212 yards and two touchdowns.

The defense has been solid for the Colts this year and has allowed 12 poitns or less in four of their six games. The unit is led by their defensive ends. Dwight Freeney has seven sacks and Robert Mathis has 4.5, as Indianapolis has been in the face of opposing QB’s all season. Antoine Bethea leads the team with 42 tackles and also leads the Colts with two interceptions.

The two biggest wins the Colts have so far are against the Miami Dolphins and the Arizona Cardinals. Their remaining 10 games are pretty tough. They play Houston twice, San Francisco, New England, Baltimore, the New York Jets, and Denver. They also play Jacksonville, Buffalo and Tennessee. I’d expect the Colts to end up 13-3 and win the AFC South.

DENVER BRONCOS:

I will be the first to say I thought the Denver Broncos were going to stink this season. Josh McDaniels has proved me wrong though. Denver is 2-0 in the AFC West and 5-0 against AFC teams. They also have won three road games and three at home.

Kyle Orton has been solid this season since coming over in the trade that sent Jay Cutler to Chicago. He has thrown for 1,465 yards and nine touchdowns. The most impressive stat for him is that he has only thrown one interception in 194 passes this year.

Brandon Marshall looks as if he is recommitted to the Broncos. He has 29 receptions for 332 yards and four touchdowns. He is joined in the receiving game by Jabar Gaffney, who has been a nice surprise, Eddie Royal, Tony Scheffler, and Brandon Stokley.

Denver used to be known as a running team under Mike Shanahan but this year they have struggled a bit. Rookie RB Knowshon Moreno has 99 attempts for 381 yards and a touchdown. Correll Buckhalter has 6.7 yards per attempt and 47 rushes for 313 yards and a touchdown.

The Broncos have put QB’s on their back time after time this year with their 21 sacks. Elvis Dumervil has 10 sacks in six games and is the clear leader off the edge. Darrell Reid, Vonnie Holliday, and D.J. Williams also have multiple sacks. Williams leads the Broncos with 46 tackles and has also forced two fumbles. The leadership of Brian Dawkins on the defense has also made a big difference for this unit.

I was skeptical of the Broncos but now I am forced to give them respect. They have wins against a 5-2 Cincinnati team, a 5-2 New England team, a 4-2 Dallas team and division rival and favorite San Diego. Of their 10 remaining games they have six tough ones. They play Baltimore, Pittsburgh, San Diego, the New York Giants, Indianapolis, and Philadelphia. I’d expect Denver to end with an 11-5 record and be able to hold off the Chargers to win the AFC West.