NFL: 30 down, 1 left to go
Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have been rivals on the field for years.
Now the two Super Bowl MVPs could be taking their competition into the NFL record book.
A week before the Colts and Patriots face each other in that highly anticipated showdown, Manning and Brady have a chance to set up the perfect matchup with an almost perfect scenario this weekend: If each wins, and keeps his respective team unbeaten, the NFL says they will become the first quarterbacks in league history to defeat 31 teams.
“I think it’s better for a quarterback to do it than a coach,” said Tony Dungy, the league’s first coach to beat all 32 teams. “You only play those NFC teams once every four years, so that’s tough to do.”
It’s so difficult that even the NFL’s record-setting ironman, Brett Favre, has yet to achieve the milestone. Aside from his own Packers, Favre has never beaten Kansas City, Green Bay’s opponent next week.
Some might even joke that the trio will have beaten all 32 teams, since each could be accused of beating their own occasionally with mistakes.
The greater challenge is simply getting enough chances at each opponent.
Brady, for instance, has faced Washington, this week’s opponent, only once in 7 1/2 seasons. He threw three interceptions in a 16-13 loss in September 2003.
Manning, who has been in the league two years longer than Brady, has faced Carolina twice. The two-time league MVP lost 27-19 as a rookie, and again 23-20 in overtime four years ago at the RCA Dome.
Manning will be making the first trip of his 10-year career to Carolina, and have a chance to accomplish the feat first because the Colts game starts before the Patriots game.
The statistic can be a bit misleading since many ex-quarterbacks played in a league with fewer teams. The NFL expanded to 30 when Carolina and Jacksonville were added in 1995, went to 31 with the new Cleveland Browns in 1999 and eventually to 32 with Houston in 2002.
Chargers work out in Arizona
The San Diego Chargers, some of them forced from their homes by the threat of wildfires, worked out at the Arizona Cardinals’ training facility at Tempe and awaited word on where and when their next game will be played.
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders planned to decide today whether the Chargers will be able to play Houston as scheduled Sunday at their Qualcomm Stadium home.
Around the league
St. Louis Rams RB Steven Jackson returned to practice after missing four games with a partially torn groin. … QB Alex Smith took every snap with the 49ers’ first-team offense, his first full day of practice since separating his shoulder on Sept. 30. … Five-time Pro Bowl DE Richard Seymour practiced with the Patriots for the first time this season. … Indianapolis practiced without eight-time Pro Bowl WR Marvin Harrison and three-time Pro Bowl DE Dwight Freeney, although both are expected to play Sunday. … Atlanta Falcons QB Byron Leftwich underwent surgery on his right ankle and will be out three to four weeks. … Houston Texans QB Matt Schaub practiced but is still listed as day to day with a bruised hip. … Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew missed practice because of a sprained left knee, is expected to play this weekend. … Jacksonville Jags QB David Garrard could miss up to a month with a badly sprained left ankle.