When will winless teams finally break through?

Curtis Painter has thrown 5 TDs and just 1 INT this year, but it hasn't been enough to get the Colts a win. (AP) Folks are starting to wonder, just six weeks

Curtis Painter has thrown 5 TDs and just 1 INT this year, but it hasn't been enough to get the Colts a win. (AP)

Folks are starting to wonder, just six weeks into the season, if the Green Bay Packers are capable of going 16-0. The Detroit Lions were the 31st team in the league to suffer a loss this season, dropping one Sunday to the 49ers, leaving the defending champion Packers as the NFL's lone undefeated team.

But there are still three teams wallowing away at the other end of the spectrum. Indianapolis, Miami and St. Louis remain winless -- and with each week, the desperation level grows.

No one wants to share the 2008 Detroit Lions' spot in history at 0-16, but is it possible the Colts, Dolphins or Rams will come up empty for the rest of the season?

• Indianapolis Colts (0-6)

Remaining schedule: at New Orleans, at Tennessee, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Carolina, at New England, at Baltimore, Tennessee, Houston, at Jacksonville

Oof.

Let's just put it this way: If the Colts don't find a win in that Atlanta-Jacksonville-Carolina home stretch, the '08 Lions might have some company in the record books.

This is not the schedule you want to face when you're 0-6 -- Sunday night's nationally televised affair in New Orleans could be flat-out ugly. The Colts actually are scheduled for two more primetime games, Week 13 at New England and Week 16 vs. Houston. You can assume that Sunday nighter against the Patriots will be flexed to something else, but the NFL Network is stuck with the Texans-Colts Thursday nighter.

The real danger for Indianapolis at this point is that the Colts have been competitive in pretty much every game this season. Eventually, losing all of those close contests will start to wear on them.

First win will come against: Jacksonville, Week 10

Predicted final record: 1-15

• Miami Dolphins (0-5)

Remaining schedule: Denver, at Giants, at Kansas City, Washington, Buffalo, at Dallas, Oakland, Philadelphia, at Buffalo, at New England, Jets

If the Dolphins are going to get off the schneid, they may not have a better chance than in Week 7. Miami welcomes in Denver, with new starting quarterback Tim Tebow, for a game that everyone in the NFL will be curious to see. The Broncos come in 1-4 and are 0-2 on the road.

After that, the schedule kicks up a notch, with a trip to Kansas City possibly providing a respite. The Redskins should be on high alert, too, when they visit Miami.

Miami still has four games remaining in the competitive AFC East, including two with Buffalo. The Dolphins actually played New England tough in Week 1, falling 38-24, but the Jets took Miami behind the woodshed Monday night in a 24-6 drubbing.

First win will come against: Washington, Week 10

Predicted final record: 2-14

• St. Louis Rams (0-5)

Remaining schedule: at Dallas, New Orleans, at Arizona, at Cleveland, Seattle, Arizona, at San Francisco, at Seattle, Cincinnati, at Pittsburgh, San Francisco

The one positive for the Rams is that they play in the NFC West, and aside from the resurgent 49ers, that should help. St. Louis has yet to play within its division and will have all six NFC West games over the final nine weeks of the season.

Of course, before that, the Rams play the Cowboys and Saints, and have three games left with the AFC North.

But this team might not be quite as bad as its 0-5 record indicates. The Rams finally are starting to get healthy, and this week's trade addition of wide receiver Brandon Lloyd ought to do wonders for Sam Bradford and the offense.

St. Louis has dug too deep a hole to do more than put up a few W's and think about the future, but 0-16 should stay off the radar.

First win will come against: Arizona, Week 9

Predicted final record: 4-12