Empty the Bench

Ranks Preview by Brian Spencer

The MVP race is overloaded with worthy QB candidates this season, but after the Saints’ Monday Night mauling of the New England Patriots, it’s just about time to whittle this down to a three-man competition. Tom Brady, it’s nice that you’re back, but you’re officially out of the discussion.

I can’t remember the last time a Brady-led Patriots team was humbled like they were at the Superdome… and in primetime, nonetheless. We were (literally) betting on the Saints’ unbeaten streak ending at 10, but outside of RB Laurence Maroney, very few Patriots bothered to show up.

Not Brady (who played timidly, repeatedly missed open receivers, and was squeezed all night by impressive Saints’ DEs Charles Grant and Will Smith), not Randy “Mr. Monday Night” Moss (3 catches, 67 yards), and certainly not the porous secondary. Somebody teach those guys how to tackle.

But enough about the Pats’ disappointing performance: the Saints’ 38-17 laugher was just as much about what they did as what the Patriots didn’t do. The defense, decimated by injuries, rose to the occasion and held the league’s second- or third-best offense well below its per-game averages for points and total yards. (Can Mike McKenzie and Chris McAlister keep that up?)

As well as that unit played, however, it was Drew Brees and his cadre of interchangeable weapons that stole the show: Brees became the first QB to ever throw for 5 TD passes against a Bill Belichick-coached team, and finished with an eye-popping box of 18-23 for 371 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs, and just one taken sack. That’s an average of over 20 yards per completion (!). He calmly spread the ball around to 7 different receivers, and has now thrown TD passes to 10 of his teammates so far with five more games to go.

Insane.

When it’s all said and done, though, will Brees win out over Brett Favre and Peyton Manning? What if none of their teams lose another game, with the Saints and Colts finishing undefeated and the Vikings with just one blemish on their record? Right now our vote goes to Favre, but this MVP race is shaping up to be one of the closest in recent history.

See also:
- Week 13 RB Rankings
- Week 13 WR Rankings
- Week 13 TE Rankings
- Week 13 DEF Rankings

1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints @ WSH
2. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts vs. TEN
3. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers @ CLE
4. Tom Brady, New England Patriots @ MIA
5. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings @ ARZ
6. Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals vs. DET
7. Matt Schaub, Houston Texans @ JAX
8. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers vs. BAL
9. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. OAK
10. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles @ ATL
11. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys @ NYG
12. Eli Manning, New York Giants vs. DAL
13. Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos @ KC
14. Vince Young, Tennessee Titans @ IND
15. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens @ GB
16. David Garrard, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. HOU
17. Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears vs. STL
18. Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle Seahawks vs. SF
19. Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Bucs @ CAR
20. Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers @ SEA
21. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions @ CIN
22. Matt Leinart, Arizona Cardinals vs. MIN (We’re assuming Warner is out.)
23. Jason Campbell, Washington Redskins vs. NO

Drew Brees’ Head Photo Credit: Icon SMI

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