NFL Notes: The Eagles' Comeback, Tebow's First Start, The Playoff Picture and MVP Race

Where do I start? To say that today was a crazy day in the NFL (I suppose it was yesterday...whatever) would be like saying Lyle Lovett is hot. Wait, no, actually, reverse the latter portion of that sentence.

I knew it was going to be a great day of football. I saw all the match-ups a few days ago and yes, I began to drool a little bit. Baltimore (9-4) against New Orleans (10-3)? Philadelphia (9-4) against the NY Giants (9-4) in a battle for the NFC lead? Jacksonville (8-5) and Indianapolis (7-6) for the AFC South lead? Green Bay (8-5) against New England (11-2)? Atlanta (11-2) and NFC West-leading Seattle (6-7)? The NY Jets (9-4) and Pittsburgh (10-3)? Kansas City (8-5) and St. Louis (6-7)? There were seven huge match-ups today and we could even include an eighth, as the game between Houston (5-8) and Tennessee (5-8) was basically an elimination game.

First off, where else would I start but with the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants? Living in Ohio, I was stuck with the Cleveland (5-8) and Cincinnati (2-11) game today. Sure, it ended up being a pretty solid game, but really? A game between two clubs that are a combined 7-19 when all those other great match-ups are going on at the same time? So, I found a way to watch the Eagles/Giants game in its entirety and am I ever glad I did! The feast Philadelphia had at the expense of the Washington Redskins' defense a few weeks back was pretty remarkable, but in my opinion, that effort pales in comparison to what they were able to accomplish today against the Giants.

Let's get something said for starters. Going into the game, both New York and Philadelphia were tied atop the NFC East at 9-4. While the Eagles have already beaten the Giants once this season, due to New York having an edge in tie-breakers, this was basically a battle for the NFC East title. The loser would have a very slim chance at winning the division. Worse yet, the loser would be the 6-seed at best after this week, only if Tampa Bay and Green Bay were to lose and with Tampa facing Detroit, that seemed unlikely. But, looking back on the day, many unlikely events occurred, including how the game between the Giants and Eagles progressed.

The Philadelphia Eagles had beaten the New York Giants five consecutive times going into this game (including the playoffs) and the Giants were determined to put a halt to that streak. For a while, it seemed as if they were going to do that. In the first half, the Giants controlled the clock, holding onto the football for close to 2/3 (20 minutes) of the half. They had their way with the Eagles' secondary, especially on 3rd down. Eli Manning was looking like his brother and receiver Mario Manningham made it appear as if New York wasn't going to miss a beat without slot receiver Steve Smith.

Philly appeared to be headed to halftime down 17-3 and while that score wouldn't please Eagles' fans, for how awful they looked on both sides of the ball and the fact they'd be receiving the ball first in the second half, with a chance to close the gap to one score, they had to be oddly satisfied. However, in the final minute of the half, Vick threw a dart to receiver Jeremy Maclin, which would have gone for a first down, but on his way down, Maclin fumbled the ball and the Giants scooped it up and ran it back inside the Philly 10-yard line. This led to a quick strike from Manning to Hakeem Nicks to put the Giants up 24-3 going into the half. At this point, it appeared to be all but over for the Eagles.

Through the first half on offense, Philadelphia was held to a mere 102 yards on 23 plays (4.4 p/) and that dropped to 100 yards on 26 plays following their first drive of the second half (3.8 p/). The Giants were aggressive defensively for 60 minutes and it did them wonders in the first half. The Eagles' offensive line wasn't holding up and Vick wasn't getting settled in the pocket. This led to one interception and a halftime quarterback rating below 30.0. Partially due to the poor pass protection, the poor playcalling and partly due to the Giants' controlling the clock, the Eagles' offense couldn't find any kind of rhythm in the first half, but how would the Eagles respond in the second half? Would they pack their bags and hope to win their last two against Minnesota and Dallas or would they find a way to sneak back into it?

It appeared to be the former, but with about 5 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter, Philly caught a break, as Mario Manningham fumbled the ball at his own 25-yard line and set the Eagles up for their first touchdown, with Michael Vick hitting Jeremy Maclin for a score to close the gap to 24-10. The Eagles' defense stepped up in the second half and appeared to be on the verge of giving their dynamic offense an opportunity to creep back into the game, but with just under 13 minutes left in the game, Vick connected with DeSean Jackson for a long gain, only for Jackson to fumble at his own 47-yard line, which New York recovered. Replay showed that Jackson was touched on the way down and that the ground caused the fumble, so if Eagles' head coach, Andy Reid, had thrown the challenge flag, the call would likely have been overturned, but Reid didn't do that and the Giants scored on their ensuing possession to go up 31-10 with 8:17 left on the clock. It's over, right? That's what I thought too.

On their very next possession, Michael Vick connected with tight end, Brent Celek, for a 65-yard touchdown pass in a 2-play drive that lasted all but 49 seconds and brought the Eagles back within 14 yet again, at 31-17. On the ensuing kickoff, David Akers kicked an onside kick and as can be seen via replay, the Giants players took a step back, as if to anticipate Akers' kicking deep, before they ran to the football. But, that one step was enough to not give them any chance at recovering the ball. Michael Vick showed off his legs, as he galloped for a 35-yard run to set the Eagles' up inside the 10-yard line, before he ran in on a 3rd-and-goal from 5 yards out to close the gap to 7, at 31-24, with 5:28 left on the clock. At this point, the Eagles still had all three timeouts to go along with the two-minute warning, so in essence, four timeouts. The Giants put together a decent drive, as they forced the Eagles to use all three timeouts, but in the end, the Giants were forced to punt the football and Philly took over from their own 12-yard line with 3:01 left in the game. The Giants continued to play aggressive and blitz Vick and he made them pay, with runs of 33 and 22 yards in that drive, which closed with a touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin, his second of the day, which would tie the score at 31-31 with about a minute and a half left. New York got a decent kick return and started the drive at their own 36-yard line. But, three plays later, which ended with a sack, and they had to punt. The Giants allowed the clock to tick down to fourteen seconds, before they called a timeout. Speedster wideout, DeSean Jackson, who had been hampered by an ankle injury, was set to receive the kick, which would likely go out-of-bounds. But, rookie punter, Matt Dodge, received a high snap and without trying to direct the punt, just decided to kick it and a line-drive it was. Jackson was about to catch the ball in stride, but muffed it, before picking it up, moving left and right, before finding a seam up the middle, making a cut and turning on the accelerators. With the help of a great block by receiver Jason Avant, there wasn't anyone that was going to catch Jackson, as he entered the end zone with no time remaining. With the extra point, the Philadelphia Eagles came back from 31-10 down midway in the 4th quarter to stun the New York Giants on their home field 38-31. It was the first time in recorded NFL history that a team scored 28 points in the final 8 minutes to win a game. The 45-point halftime and 59-point game explosion against Washington earlier this season was quite a feat for the Eagles, but as I said at the outset, that accomplishment paled in comparison to the comeback today.

Like I said, this game was literally for the NFC East title and potentially for a playoff spot. While being shut down for two and a half quarters, on the road, against one of the top two or three defenses in the NFC (along with Chicago and Green Bay), for the Eagles to rip off 28 points in the final 8 minutes is beyond incredible. I'm not exaggerating here when I say I've never seen a game, a comeback quite like it.

Let me elaborate some to give a more vivid picture of just how amazing this comeback by the Eagles was. While only tallying 102 yards on 23 plays (4.4 p/) in the first half, the Eagles went for 367 yards on 38 plays (9.7 p/) (includes the punt return). In fact, including the punt return, the Eagles managed to rack up 285 yards in their final 16 plays (17.8 p/). If one doesn't want to include the punt return, the Eagles managed to go for 302 yards on 37 plays in the second half (8.2 p/) and 220 yards in their final 15 plays (14.7). If the Eagles had scored at this clip all game, they would have scored approximately 224 points and accumulated 1,760 yards from scrimmage. Michael Vick would have thrown for 968 yards and 16 touchdowns, while rushing for 752 additional yards and 8 more touchdowns for a total of 1,720 yards and 24 touchdowns in a single game. I know, that would never happen, but it just goes to show how amazing this 4th quarterback for the Eagles was.

In reality again, Vick, who had a 26.6 quarterback rating at the half, finished completing 21 of 35 pass attempts (60.0%) for 242 yards (11.5 ypc and 6.9 ypa), 3 touchdowns and 1 interception for a quarterback rating of 97.6. He also ran the ball 10 times for 130 yards (13.0 ypc) and another score. So, for the game, when Vick and the Eagles' offense were shut down for two and a half quarters, the start quarterback tallied 372 total yards and 4 touchdowns. The effort, the determination and the clutch performances by Vick and the rest of his teammates were simply incredible and yes, while many may claim the Giants lost this game more than the Eagles won it, I can't fully buy into that theory. The Giants didn't turn the ball over in the 4th quarter, committed just 4 penalties in the game for 35 yards and continued to apply pressure to Vick in the pocket late in the game. While they didn't execute as well in the second half as they did in the first, offensively and defensively, I still have to give all the credit in the world to the Eagles for not giving up, for believing they still had a shot when down 31-10 midway in the 4th quarter and executing in the manner they did from that point forward. Like I said, I've never seen a game, a comeback like this before and I doubt I will again for a very long time, if ever. It'll now be interesting to see how both teams react in their final two games. Will the Giants hang their heads and suffer a hangover loss to the Green Bay Packers, whom will likely have Aaron Rodgers back at quarterback? Will the Eagles continue to fly high off this amazing come-from-behind victory en route to a 12-4 season and at worst, a 3-seed in the playoffs? We shall see, but after this game, I'm predicting the Giants to finish 10-6 and the Eagles to finish 12-4 with a 2-seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs. At 10-6, the Giants are possibly in as a 6-seed, but they'd then need the Packers to lose their final game in order to secure that (if Green Bay does beat New York next week).

In other news (sort of), Denver Broncos' quarterback and former Heisman-winner, Tim Tebow, got his first NFL start, as the Broncos would eventually lose to the Oakland Raiders by the final score of 39-23. For the game, Tebow completed 8 of 16 pass attempts (50.0%) for 138 yards (17.3 ypc and 8.6 ypa), 1 touchdown and a quarterback rating of 100.5. He also ran the ball 8 times for 78 yards (9.8 ypc) and 1 score. Some other numbers to make note of before evaluating Tebow's performance are that Denver: was 2-12 on 3rd down conversions, had 9 first downs overall and were 0-1 inside the red zone.

It's difficult to get a great sense of a NFL quarterback after his first start, but as I felt about the former Florida quarterback being drafted so high by the Broncos, I had mixed feelings about his first start. One thing I have to give the young quarterback credit for is the fact he didn't turn the ball over. I also have to give kudos to his two big plays in the game, which both resulted in touchdowns. On the other side of things, he was just 8 of 16 throwing the ball, led the Broncos to only 9 first downs and when it came to converting in key situations, the Broncos struggled, going 2-12 (.167) on 3rd downs and 0-1 (.000) in the red zone. Again, it's the man's first start, so I have to give him a partial pass on some of these stats. But, like I wondered going into this game, I wonder the same thing following it. Will Tim Tebow be able to be a consistent, successful NFL quarterback? Will he be able to throw the ball well enough to open up his running game? When defenses have actual tape of him and make adjustments accordingly, how will he then adjust? Tim Tebow is a smart man, is a winner, gives the fullest effort on each play and is a talented athlete, but even with this, I still am hesitant on proclaiming that he is going to be a success at this level. Following the game, I read some Broncos' fans claim he's the next Michael Vick. It's true that both quarterbacks run the ball more than most others in the league, but I still don't see the comparison as being valid. Their running style is completely different. Tebow is built more like a tight end and runs that way. He has decent speed, especially for his position, but he's more prone to running over guys (cornerbacks in particular) than doing what Vick does and breaking to the outside and using his speed to making cuts and avoid defenders. Passing wise, while Vick wasn't the most accurate of throwers in his early days in Atlanta, I still believe he was more accurate than Tebow and with a stronger arm. The fact of the matter is that Tim Tebow was a system-quarterback in college, under head coach Urban Meyer (remember Alex Smith?). These types of quarterbacks generally don't succeed at the next level. Quarterbacks from: Texas Tech (Kliff Kingsbury, Graham Harrell, etc.), Houston (Andre Ware), Florida (Chris Leak, Danny Wuerrfel, Doug Johnson), Utah (Alex Smith), West Virginia (Pat White), etc. aren't typically successful starting quarterbacks in the NFL. They may have fit a certain system in college perfectly, but the NFL is an entirely different game and college-like gimmicks aren't going to function very well in the pros. If Tebow is to be a successful pro, he's going to need some time to mature. He has a great deal to learn and with the right team, I could see him being a decent game manager, who can bust a big play now and then, like Vince Young at Tennessee. Like Tebow, Young is a winner, but doesn't possess the best throwing arm in the league, either with his power or his accuracy, but can make up for it at times with his speed. But, with the Titans, Young found himself in the perfect environment. Tennessee has relied on their running game for a few years, with speedy Chris Johnson in the backfield. They've also relied upon their typically strong defense. That was the make-up to Jeff Fisher's success at Tennessee for the past few years - a strong defense and solid running game. All Vince Young had to do was manage the game, not turn the ball over and when needed, make the big pass or run. I think if Denver improves defensively and establish themselves on the ground, Tebow could play a similar role with the Broncos as Young has done with the Titans. But, Denver will need to make some vast improvements, especially on the defensive side of the ball, in order to make that work. In the end, there's no doubt that I saw some positives from Tebow in this game, yet it didn't erase any of my lingering doubts either.

As far as the playoff picture goes, yesterday was huge, not just because it was the third to last game for teams, but because of the critical match-ups that were involved. Chicago (9-4) still has to play Minnesota (5-8) tonight, but even with that, the playoff picture is slowing starting to clear itself up without being crystal clear as of yet.

In the AFC, the New England Patriots, in all likelihood, will be the top seed. They are 12-2 with the second best record being 10-4 with two games left. If the Pats beat either Buffalo (4-10) on the road or Miami (7-7) at home, they'll have the top-seed wrapped up. The second seed is still up for grabs. It will likely be the AFC North Champion, as both Pittsburgh and Baltimore sit at 10-4, with Pittsburgh winning the tie-breaker. Neither team has a rough road ahead, as the Steelers face Carolina (2-10) and at Cleveland (5-9), while the Ravens will take on Cleveland (5-9) on the road and then come home to face Cincinnati (3-11). Cleveland can't be an opponent that either take for granted and neither can Cincinnati, but all four games should be won, which would give the two-seed to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The three- and four-seeds would then be given to the AFC South and West Champions (or vice versa). In the South, Indianapolis and Jacksonville have 8-6 records, with Indy holding the tie-breaker advantage. Tennessee is also not mathematically eliminated, with a 6-8 record. In the West, Kansas City is currently in first place at 9-5, with San Diego a game back at 8-6 and Oakland two back at 7-7. All the other teams: Miami (7-7), Buffalo (4-10), Cleveland (5-9), Cincinnati (3-11), Houston (5-9) and Denver (3-11) are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Let's go back to the AFC South and West. Indianapolis (8-6) closes with a road game in Oakland (7-7) and a home game against Tennessee (6-8). Jacksonville (8-6) finishes with Washington (5-9) at home and Houston (5-9) on the road. Tennessee (6-8) will play Kansas City (9-5) at Arrowhead before taking on Indianapolis (8-6) on the road. This could get interesting. Indianapolis is just 3-4 on the road, while Oakland 5-2 at home. Both teams are fighting for their playoff lives and if the Colts should lose that game and Tennessee finds a way to beat Kansas City next week, the Titans could potentially play for the AFC South title in their final game against the Colts in Indy. Jacksonville should win at home against the reeling Washington Redskins, which would move them up to 9-6. Their final game at Houston can't be taken for granted, but is definitely winnable. Of the three teams in the South, Jacksonville has the easiest road. I predict the Jags finish 10-6, Indy splits their two games to finish 9-7 and Tennessee loses both of their games to wind up 6-10. In the West, Kansas City is a perfect 6-0 at home. I don't see any reason why they should stumble next week against Tennessee and if that happens, Oakland will be eliminated from playoff contention and may not come to Arrowhead as motivated for the season finale as they would have otherwise. So, I see KC finishing 11-5, San Diego 10-6 and Oakland 8-8. This would give Kansas City the three-seed and Jacksonville the four-seed. I predict Baltimore will finish 12-4 and the Jets 11-5, to give those two teams the five- and six-seeds. This would set up first-round match-ups between the NY Jets playing at Kansas City and Baltimore going to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars. As strange as it may sound, I like both away teams in these match-ups, the Jets and Ravens. This would set up games between the Ravens and Patriots and the Jets and Steelers, in my opinion, the four best teams in the AFC. Baltimore, New York and Pittsburgh present great defenses, while New England relies on Tom Brady and their league-leading scoring offense.

Due to the porous NFC West, the NFC playoff picture is interesting, to say the least. Like New England in the AFC, Atlanta (12-2) pretty much has the top-seed wrapped up in the NFC. If they beat either New Orleans (10-4) or Carolina (2-10) at home, the top-seed will be the Falcons'. Because of that, the two-seed will be either Philadelphia (10-4) or Chicago (9-4). Philly has two home games left, against Minnesota (5-8) and Dallas (5-9). Chicago plays at Minnesota (5-8) tonight, before playing the Jets (10-4) at home next week and closing with Green Bay (8-6) at Lambeau. With those two schedules, I like the Eagles to improve to 12-4 and nab the two-seed, with Chicago finishing 10-6 and attaining the three seed. So, that leaves the four seed to the NFC West Champion. I'd rather not refer to any NFC West team as a champion, but ::sighs::, I suppose it's a given that I must do that in this case, unfortunately. Going into next weekend, all four teams are still mathematically in the playoff picture, with Seattle and St. Louis both at 6-8, San Francisco at 5-9 and Arizona at 4-10. Yes, it's possible at this point that a 6-10 team could make the playoffs. We'll start at the bottom. With Arizona playing Dallas at home next week and at San Francisco the following week, I think the Cardinals will lose both en route to a 4-12 record. San Francisco plays St. Louis on the road and Arizona at home, which could very well result in a 7-9 record. It seems as if the Rams are beginning to reel and I think they'll continue to do so, with San Francisco at home and Seattle on the road. I think they'll lose both games and finish with a 6-10 record. That leaves us with Seattle, who finishes with Tampa Bay (8-6) on the road and St. Louis at home. I like them to split the two to finish 7-9. We're then left in a tie between Seattle and San Francisco. The two split the season series. Next up is their divisional records. I like San Fran to finish 5-1 in the West and Seattle to finish 4-2, which would give the four-seed to the 7-9 San Francisco 49ers. This leaves us two wild card spots between the following contenders: New Orleans (10-4), NY Giants (9-5), Green Bay (8-6) and Tampa Bay (8-6). The Packers have two tough games at home, with the Giants (9-5) and Bears (9-4) going to Lambeau. With Aaron Rodgers coming back, I like Green Bay to close the season at 10-6. Tampa plays Seattle (6-8) at home and New Orleans (10-4) on the road, so I think they'll split those two en route to a 9-7 record, which will leave them out of the playoffs. The Giants play at Green Bay (8-6) before facing Rex Grossman and the Redskins (5-9) to close the season. I like them to beat the 'Skins, but lose to Green Bay in Lambeau to finish the regular season 10-6. Finally, New Orleans squares off against Atlanta (12-2) on the road and Tampa (8-6) at home. The Falcons are very tough to beat at home, so I like the Saints to win one of their last two to finish 11-5. This would give the Saints the five-seed and leave the six for either Green Bay or the NY Giants, whom both finished 10-6. I like the Packers to beat the Giants next week, which would give them the six-seed and leave the Giants out of the playoffs. We'd then be presented with the following match-ups: Green Bay at Chicago and New Orleans at San Francisco. Of course, I'd like anybody facing the NFC West representative, so I'd pick the Saints over the 49ers. The other game isn't so easy for me to predict. I could see it going either way, but am leaning toward Green Bay, which would make the road teams 4-0 in these first round games. If that were to happen, New Orleans would square off against fellow NFC South rival, Atlanta at the Georgia Dome and Green Bay would go to Philadelphia to play the Eagles. I like Philly and Atlanta to win those games, which would make for a NFC Championship consisting of Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles going to the Georgia Dome to face Vick's former team, the Atlanta Falcons, for the right to participate in the Super Bowl. If I had to pick right now, I'd pick the Steelers to face the Patriots in the AFC Championship, with Pittsburgh finding a way to win. I'd also go with the Eagles over the Falcons to present a Pennsylvania Super Bowl.

Now for the MVP talk. As of now, I think there are exactly twenty players that deserve some mention, but only two that I feel have a legitimate shot at the award. I'll count down from 20 to 1:

20. Joe Flacco (QB - Baltimore): 280-451 (62.1%) for 3,395 yards (12.1 ypc and 7.5 ypa), 23 touchdowns, 8 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 94.8. He's also rushed the ball 37 times for 67 yards (1.8 ypc) and 1 touchdown and losing 2 fumbles for a combined 3,462 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 turnovers. After a very sluggish start to the season, Flacco has dramatically improved his efficiency as quarterback to lead the Ravens to a 10-4 record and a likely berth in the playoffs.

19. Jay Cutler (QB - Chicago): 213-344 for 2,697 yards (12.7 ypc and 7.8 ypa), 17 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 88.4. He's also run the ball 43 times for 222 yards (5.2 ypc) and 1 fumble lost for a combined 2,919 yards, 17 touchdowns and 13 turnovers. If Cutler struggles again tonight like he did in the snow against New England last week, he will move down and off the board. To this point in the season, he has been a better game manager than he has in the past and has been a factor in the Bears' 9-4 record.

18. DeSean Jackson (WR - Philadelphia): 45 receptions for 1,024 yards (22.8 ypr), 6 touchdowns and 1 lost fumble. He has returned 20 punts for 231 yards (11.6 ypr) and 1 touchdown. In addition, he's run the ball 15 times for 104 yards (6.9 ypc) and 1 touchdown for a combined 1,359 yards on 80 touches (17.0 ypt), 8 touchdowns and 1 turnover. Jackson is arguably the most explosive player in the league and deserves some mention.

17. LeSean McCoy (RB - Philadelphia): 194 carries for 1,036 yards (5.3 ypc), 7 touchdowns and 1 fumble. He's also caught 74 passes for 551 yards (7.4 ypr) and 2 more touchdowns for a combined 1,587 yards on 268 touches (5.9 ypt), 9 touchdowns and 1 lost fumble. When looking at the Eagles' dynamic offense, McCoy is often the guy that's overlooked, but other than Vick, he's played as big of a part in the Eagles' success as anyone. Unlike in past years under Andy Reid, he's provided balance to the offense with his production on the ground.

16. Dwayne Bowe (WR - Kansas City): 61 receptions for 941 yards (15.4 ypr) and 14 touchdowns. He's also carried the ball once for four yards, for a combined 945 yards on 62 touches (15.2 ypt) and 14 touchdowns. Bowe has been a key to Kansas City's success on offense. He may not be as explosive as DeSean Jackson, but is responsible for 14 touchdowns (84 points).

15. Roddy White (WR - Atlanta): 106 receptions for 1,284 yards (12.1 ypr), 8 touchdowns and 1 lost fumble. He's also run the ball once for three yards for a combined 1,287 yards on 107 touches (12.0 ypt) and 8 touchdowns. White leads the league in receptions and has been a major reason for Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons' success.

14. Jamaal Charles (RB - Kansas City): 203 rushes for 1,303 yards (6.4 ypc), 4 touchdowns and 1 lost fumble. He's also caught 39 passes for 415 yards (10.6 ypr), 1 touchdown and 1 lost fumble for a combined 1,718 yards on 242 touches (7.1 ypt), 5 touchdowns and 2 lost fumbles. Charles is on the way up the leaderboard and if not for his 5:2 touchdown to turnover ratio, he'd be in the top 10.

13. Darren McFadden (RB - Oakland): 212 carries for 1,112 yards (5.2 ypc), 7 touchdowns and 2 lost fumbles. He's also caught 43 passes for 476 yards (11.1 ypr) for 3 touchdowns and 1 lost fumble for a combined 1,588 yards, 10 touchdowns and 3 lost fumbles. I'll have to move McFadden down if Oakland doesn't at least finish .500, but he is a huge reason for them being 7-7 and still within range of a playoff bid.

12. Matt Ryan (QB - Atlanta): 320-510 (62.7%) for 3,321 yards (10.4 ypc and 6.5 ypa), 25 touchdowns, 9 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 90.5. He's also run the ball 40 times for 89 yards (2.2 ypc) and 1 lost fumble for a combined 3,410 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 turnovers. Ryan has been a great leader and game manager for the Falcons, who are 12-2 and likely to be the top-seed in the NFC come season's end. But, I don't he's deserving of a top 5 or even top 10 mention at this point. A big reason for Ryan's success has been the Falcons' ground game, which ranks 7th in the league. He's had a fine season, but for the time, I have him just outside the top 10.

11. Peyton Manning (QB - Indianapolis): 407-608 (66.9%) for 4,257 yards (10.5 ypc and 7.0 ypa), 28 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 92.1. He's also run the ball 15 times for -7 yards (-0.5 ypc) for a combined 4,250 yards, 28 touchdowns and 15 turnovers. Surprising, eh? After those three atrocious weeks Manning had a month ago? The Colts have the 32nd ranked rush offense in the league (for the record, there are 32 teams in the league). The team has been put on his shoulders more this season than at any time in his career. He won't win the award this year, but deserves mention.

10. Aaron Rodgers (QB - Green Bay): 268-410 (65.4%) for 3,289 yards (12.3 ypc and 8.0 ypa), 23 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 98.5. He's also rushed the ball 55 times for 309 yards (5.6 ypc), 4 touchdowns and 1 lost fumble for a combined 3,598 yards, 27 touchdowns and 11 turnovers. With starting tailback, Ryan Grant, suffering a season-ending injury in the first game of the season, the team, the offense in particular, rested on Rodgers' shoulders and he's responded well. If he had any help in the ground game, his numbers would be even more impressive.

9. Drew Brees (QB - New Orleans): 391-571 (68.5%) for 4,122 yards (10.5 ypc and 7.2 ypa), 31 touchdowns, 19 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 93.5. He's also rushed the ball 16 times for -1 yards (-0.1 ypc) for a combined 4,121 yards, 31 touchdowns and 19 turnovers. What's hurting Brees' chances for a MVP award are his 19 interceptions. The blame can't solely rest with him, though. The Saints rank 26th in rushing offense. Like Rodgers in Green Bay and Manning in Indy, Brees has felt far more pressure in New Orleans than he's used to. Even with the 19 picks, he's led the Saints to a 10-4 record and most likely, a playoff berth.

8. Maurice Jones-Drew (RB - Jacksonville): 299 carries for 1,324 yards (4.4 ypc), 5 touchdowns and 2 lost fumbles. He's also caught 34 passes for 317 yards (9.3 ypr) and 2 touchdowns. Drew has returned 2 punts for 19 yards (9.5 ypr) and 4 kicks for 102 yards (25.5 ypr) for a combined 1,762 yards on 339 touches (5.2 ypt), 7 touchdowns and 2 lost fumbles. Jones-Drew is THE reason Jacksonville is where they are today, tied atop the AFC South, with a decent shot at winning the division and making their way to the playoffs.

7. Troy Polamalu (SS - Pittsburgh): 62 tackles (48 solo, 14 assisted), 10 pass deflections, 1.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 6 interceptions for 101 yards (16.8 ypr) and 1 touchdown. The Steelers are a different beast defensively when Polamalu is playing and healthy. They're a sub-.500 team when he's not active if that says anything.

6. Brian Urlacher (LB - Chicago): 104 tackles (80 solo, 24 assisted), 10 pass deflections, 3.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 1 interception for 0 yards (0.0 ypr). The Chicago Bears are mainly 9-4 and atop the NFC North because of their tenacious defense and the leader of that defense is Brian Urlacher.

5. Clay Matthews (LB - Green Bay): 53 tackles (47 solo, 6 assisted), 4 pass deflections, 12.5 sacks, 1 interception for 62 yards (62.0 ypr) and 1 touchdown. Continuing on my defensive trend here, Matthews has been the most disruptive force in football this year on the defensive side of the ball.

4. Matt Cassell (QB - Kansas City): 227-383 (59.3%) for 2,687 yards (11.8 ypc and 7.0 ypa), 24 touchdowns, 5 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 96.2. He also has 30 carries to his credit for 105 yards (3.5 ypc) for a combined 2,792 yards, 24 touchdowns and 5 turnovers. One of the more (most) underrated MVP candidates, in my opinion, is this guy. What analysts honestly predicted the Kansas City Chiefs to be 9-5 and leading the AFC West, two games away from representing the West in the playoffs with possibly a three-seed? Not many. While Cassell's completion percentage and yardage may not be as gaudy as some other quarterbacks, his near 5:1 ratio of touchdowns:interceptions and his 96.4 rating more than makes up for it. Along with Jamaal Charles and Dwayne Bowe, Cassell has been the primary reason for the Chiefs' success so far this season.

3. Phillip Rivers (QB - San Diego): 309-464 (66.6%) for 4,141 yards (13.4 ypc and 8.9 ypa), 29 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 105.7. He's also run the ball 27 times for 49 yards (1.8 ypc) and 1 lost fumble for a combined 4,190 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 turnovers. Rivers' numbers look good, but I think some analysts are giving him a bit too much credit for the Chargers' 8-6 record. This isn't a Colts, Saints or Packers' situation. The Chargers are 14th in rushing offense and in the top 5 in every defensive category, which Manning, Brees and Rodgers don't have going for them. Rivers has had a very good season, but at best, I see him as #3 in the MVP race.

2. Tom Brady (QB - New England): 299-449 (66.6%) for 3,561 yards (11.9 ypc and 7.9 ypa), 31 touchdowns, 4 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 109.9. He's also run the ball 28 times for 17 yards (0.6 ypc) and 1 touchdown for a combined 3,578 yards, 32 touchdowns and 4 turnovers. I know I had Brady #1 last week and said it'd likely take a collapse on his part to not win the award. Truth be known, he'll probably win the honor and I'd have no problem with that, but after seeing what happened yesterday, I honestly believe he's not quite as important to his team's success this year as the guy whom I moved up to #1.

1. Michael Vick (QB - Philadelphia): 208-329 (63.2%) for 2,755 yards (13.2 ypc and 8.4 ypa), 20 touchdowns, 5 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 103.6. He's also run the ball 92 times for 613 yards (6.7 ypc) and 8 touchdowns for a combined 3,368 yards, 28 touchdowns and 5 turnovers. He may have missed a total of 4 games this year, but in the end, that's of no importance to me. If Philly beats Minnesota and Dallas to close the regular season, they will have gone 10-1 in the games Vick both started and finished. For now, they're 8-1 in such games and even though Vick has missed 3 full games and a total of one game between the 1st half against Green Bay and the 2nd half in the Eagles' first meeting with Washington, he ranks: 3rd in quarterback rating, 10th in completion percentage, 18th in passing yards, 2nd in yards per attempt, 14th in passing touchdowns, tied for 5th in interceptions, 11th in pass yards per game (5th actually...as he's played a total of 10 games and not 11), 33rd in rushing yards, 1st in yards per carry, tied for 9th in rushing touchdowns and 26th in rushing yards per game (once again, that ranking should actually be 22nd). In the games that Vick has both started and finished, the Eagles' defense has allowed a total of 217 points (24.1 papg), so Vick has had to lead his team to approximately four touchdowns in order to win the games, which is no easy task. In ten full games, he's averaging 275.5 passing yards and 61.3 rushing yards per game for a combined average of 336.8 yards per game. He's also averaging 2.0 passing touchdowns and 0.8 rushing touchdowns for a combined 2.8 total touchdowns per game. With the Eagles' very average when healthy defense and their sub-par special teams and below average offensive line, Vick has had minimal margin for error this year and is the main reason the Eagles are 10-4 and on their way to, at worst, a three-seed in the playoffs, but a two-seed is likely. Vick, due his four-game absence, may not win the award, but at worst, he should finish second. If he continues on this pace, he should finish with 3,326 passing yards, 736 rushing yards (4,062 total yards), 24 passing touchdowns and 9-10 rushing touchdowns (33-34 total touchdowns) in 12 games of work. If Vick wasn't seen as a MVP-candidate before yesterday's epic comeback against the Giants, that should have gotten doubters' attention. Vick may not win the award, but as far as I see it, he is, at this point in time, the best player in the NFL and the most valuable to his team's success.