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• Week 16 Pick 'Em: How will each contender fare in key Week 16 games?
• Power Rankings: Playoff positioning aside, what does your top 10 look like?
• Chat: NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert, 2 ET

It took until the final game of Week 15, but at least something went as expected in the NFC wild-card race. Two days after the Cowboys knocked the Saints from the ranks of the unbeaten in New Orleans and a day after the Packers lost to the Steelers on a last-second touchdown pass, the Giants embarrassed the Redskins on "Monday Night Football."

Aside from possibly making new Redskins president Bruce Allen reconsider his career choice, Monday's result kept the Giants one game behind the Cowboys and Packers in pursuit of the NFC's two wild-card bids. The NFC East title isn't done and dusted for the Eagles just yet, but among the three current wild-card contenders, which group of fans should feel best about the guy they have leading the way?

Look at how each quarterback has fared so far in December.

Eli Manning: 57-for-89 passing, 900 yards, 8 TD, 1 INT, 122.9 QB rating

Aaron Rodgers: 68-for-112 passing, 826 yards, 6 TD, 2 INT, 93.8 QB rating

Tony Romo: 82-for-119 passing, 953 yards, 6 TD, 0 INT, 109.7 QB rating

And then consider the changing fortunes of SportsNation's quarterback rankings.

Jason R. (Orlando)

So is the "Dallas can't win in December" thing dead forever thanks to beating the Saints?

Scouts Inc.'s Gary Horton

Yes, until this weekend. I don't buy the December fade thing. It just happened. This is a good football team. The problem I see is they don't put back to back games together. How many times this season have we loved them and then the next week they lay an egg? It may be different with their backs to the wall, but they are capable of winning their next two or losing them. Full transcript

• Vote: Is Pittsburgh's slide a one-year fluke or a sign of trouble?
• Chat: ESPN Boston's Tedy Bruschi, 12 ET | NFC South's Pat Yasinskas, 1 ET

It's not a good morning to be Ben Roethlisberger. You just got beat by Brady Quinn, a quarterback who completed six passes in 60 minutes of football (granted, that's three times as many passes as Derek Anderson completed in the Browns' only other win this season). Your team scored a grand total of six points against the Browns, a team that gave up 38 points to the Lions less than three weeks ago.

And according to common sense and 90 percent of SportsNation, your team is done.

All of four months ago, here's how SportsNation sized up the quarterback class of 2004.

And after the Steelers lost to the Chiefs, Raiders and Browns in the last month? Well, vote at the end of the post and see for yourself. It's not pretty for Big Ben.

matt (florida)

what do u think about the san diego chargers, phillip rivers really starting to come tru

Matt Williamson

He's awesome. Elite QB. Great player. In his prime. Fantastic deep passer. Very good feeling for coverages. Intelligent. Competitive. Moves well in the pocket. Good-underrated-arm. Very quick release. Extremely productive. One of the best in the business and very rarely has a down day -- comes at you every week. Full transcript

Bobby (Seattle)

Big Ben seems like an easy target in the pocket, standing upright like a frozen otter pop, is it because he is so strong he can shake off would be tacklers??

Matt Wiiliamson

What's an otter pop? I am from the Burgh as well-never heard of that. I couldn't disagree more though. He is incredibly strong in both his upper and lower body and can shrug off D-linemen, but he also is very mobile -- especially for such a big man. Has a good feel for pressure as well. Of course he takes a lot of sacks still, but that stems from him wanting to hold the ball extra long to make a play for his team. Full transcript

• Your MVP Watch: Is Donovan McNabb a contender for NFL MVP?

It wasn't so very long ago that Eli Manning was one of the five most valuable players in the NFL. No, seriously. It was just a month ago that SportsNation ranked the younger Manning No. 5 in its MVP Watch. And now? Well, he's presumably still better than Jason Campbell.

Manning's fall from grace has coincided with an overall resurgence for the NFC East. When Manning hit his MVP peak, the Giants were the only NFC East team SportsNation ranked in its top 10. A month later, the Giants are out of the top 10, but the Eagles and Cowboys square off this weekend as top-10 teams. So is Manning just riding through some bumps in the NFL's toughest division, or is this evidence of something else?

Matt (Philly)

Eli has thrown 82 INTs in 81 games ... his career passer rating is under 80. Let's get real about him. If his name wasn't Manning, he would have no support in the NFL.

Chris Mortensen

Yeah, yeah. Heard that before. Did you know that under Dan Reeves, John Elway's stats were just one-plus on the TD and Ints? And no matter how you want to cut it, Giants Stadium is the toughest venue in the NFL for a quarterback because of the wind factor.

Matt (Philly)

That's a cop out... Eli tossed 2 more interceptions at home than on the road, so you can't really throw wind at Giants stadium into the equation.

Chris Mortensen

I was speaking more on the career perspective. And the fact is, he did win a Super Bowl. I also saw receivers dropping balls in some of those losses and running game so-so. And I do wonder, having suffered from plantar fascia injury myself, if it's affected him enough to throw him off. But he hasn't played well in most of these losses. Full transcript

• Your Rankings: Who are the leading candidates for NFL MVP?
• Chats: Chris Mortensen wrap | Matt Williamson, 12 ET | Mel Kiper, 1 ET

Should we offer a moment of silence for fantasy football owners coming to the realization that Saints safety Darren Sharper has scored more touchdowns this season than Steven Jackson, Brandon Jacobs or Anquan Boldin?

The Saints are just outside the top 10 in total defense at the moment, which is kind of remarkable when you think about how often their opponents have the whole field to work with after yet another Saints touchdown and yet another Saints kickoff. Sharper may not be the sole reason for the success, given that he shares the field with guys like Charles Grant and Jonathan Vilma, but as a newcomer with a league-best six interceptions and three touchdowns, he's becoming the face of it.

When push comes to shove, 67 percent of SportsNation prefers a great defense to a great offense. But are you ready to give a guy like Sharper MVP consideration?

• Wednesday Chats: Chris Mortensen, 11 ET | Matt Williamson, 12 ET | Mel Kiper, 1 ET

Why didn't AIG have this kind of foresight? As recounted in the Wall Street Journal, Fantasy Sports Insurance launched this year to offer fantasy football owners some peace of mind on their high-dollar investments. Drafted Adrian Peterson but worried about an injury ruining your season? Buy insurance on him and recoup your league fees if he gets hurt (although in Peterson's case, based on his chat with SportsNation, Frank Gore insurance would have been a better investment).

One of the only 50 stars the company offered to insure? Cedric Benson. The same guy who averaged 3.5 yards per carry last season while rushing for a career "best" 747 yards. Forget insurance; we're going to these guys for our draft cheat sheet next year.

Thanks in no small part to Benson, who has 487 rushing yards in five games, the Bengals are 4-1. But does that make him a better MVP pick than Carson Palmer, let alone Peterson, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning or other standouts?

Scott (Bakersfield, CA)

Which offseason add has helped their team more Dawkins or Sharper?

Gary Horton

That's almost a push. They are both great veteran players with tremendous leadership skills. Your first inclination might be to say Sharper because of his big plays and his instincts. He can turn around a game with those interceptions. My sources in Denver tell me Dawkins is like another coach on the field and is a huge part of the speed in which Denver has made the transition from a 43 to a 34. That may not show up in the box score, but it is a big factor in their success. Full transcript.

Random (Dude)

DO u have yourself on your fantasy team?

Adrian Peterson

Nope. Frank Gore. And Matt Forte. Full transcript.

The battery of Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd has a better ERA during the afternoon episodes of "SportsNation" TV.

Argue the hot topics of the day and vote on the biggest stories from the world of sports. The show airs on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. and midnight ET.

Note: Broadcast voting results as of this afternoon (ET).

If he trained, would LeBron be a better WR than Braylon Edwards?
You've seen the LeBron in a Browns uniform commercial. You've seen Edwards traded away. Now complete the Cleveland fantasy football picture.

Whom would you pick first for a playoff series?
Derek Jeter had a clutch HR to start the Yankees' postseason scoring. Albert Pujols was intentionally walked anytime the Dodgers saw danger.

Are the Red Sox in the Angels' heads?
The Angels have lost 12 of their past 13 postseason games against the Red Sox. "Last year was last year," said Torii Hunter when asked about it.

Does toughness run in families?
Eli Manning missed practice for a second straight day. Will he play against the Raiders? Dad Archie and brother Peyton have been known to play hurt.

Does Braylon Edwards make the Jets a serious Super Bowl contender?
Edwards, wearing a white No. 17 Jets jersey, caught passes from rookie Mark Sanchez and backups Erik Ainge and Kevin O'Connell in drills Thursday.

What is "SportsNation" TV, and how do you make your voice heard? Read about the new ESPN show that features fan opinions with calls, tweets, polls, rankers and more.

• Your MVP Watch: Which players are in your top 5 after the first four weeks?
• Wednesday chat wraps: Chris Mortensen | Matt Williamson | Fran Tarkenton

Save for the Falcons, Eagles, Cardinals and Panthers, NFL teams are already a quarter of the way through the regular season. Most places, that means an opportunity for fans to take stock of what they've seen and set expectations for the remaining 12 games. In St. Louis, where the Rams have been voted the worst of the worst four weeks running, we don't recommend diverting your attention from the Cardinals. (Or the Blues, for that matter. In fact, if the Saint Louis Billikens have any halfway decent post players, you might just want to skip ahead to basketball season).

Through just a quarter of the season, we've already seen three teams trade the top spot in SportsNation's Power Rankings -- not to mention 15 teams ranked somewhere in the top 10 at some point. And as good as Drew Brees has been, his Saints have cracked the top 2 just once. Just imagine how messy this would be in the BCS.

“

NFC East is a hugely overrated conference at the moment. The Redskins and Cowboys appear to be actively bad teams; and both the Eagles and Giants have question marks as to the health of key players.

” -- MNRyan55

“

The fact is, the Jets won't even be a part of the play-off picture, so why are we even bothering with them now. The AFC will come down to the Colts, Patriots, Steelers, Ravens and probably the Chargers and the NFC will most likely come down to the Saints, Giants, Vikings, Bears, Eagles and Packers.

” -- MadMax1018

Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd plan to bounce ideas and your opinions off the low-hanging "SportsNation" TV scoreboard.

Argue the hot topics and vote on the biggest stories. The show airs on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. and midnight ET.

Note: Broadcast voting results as of this afternoon (ET).

Whose pictures are you more likely to search for on the Web?
Are you more likely to be looking for online photos and videos of actress Jessica Biel or quarterback Tom Brady?

Which quarterback would you rather have?
The Chargers' QB has a six-year extension reportedly worth $92 million, but he doesn't have a Super Bowl ring like Eli Manning.

Do Mark Sanchez's good looks help make him a better QB?
The Jets' rookie signal-caller has already posed in bathing suits and shorts for GQ, and winning could only burnish his media-friendly image.

Which running back would you pick No. 1 in a fantasy draft?
Vikings RB Adrian Peterson is a popular choice, but ESPN fantasy guru Matthew Berry argues that Michael Turner will have a better year.

What do you think of Chiefs coach Todd Haley?
When the first-year head coach said that nobody had made the K.C. roster, yet, was that a smart motivational ploy or a stupid stunt?

What is "SportsNation" TV, and how do you make your voice heard? Read about the new ESPN show that features fan opinions with calls, tweets, polls, rankers and more.

• Rankings: Is Philip Rivers one of the NFL's five best quarterbacks?

When you hand a quarterback $92 million, including more than $30 million guaranteed, to stick around for the next six years, it seems safe to assume you think he's better than, say, Craig Whelihan. Just a purely hypothetical example, of course. But no matter what Philip Rivers does, short of winning multiple Super Bowls and perhaps coming out of the bullpen for the Padres, it feels like he's going to spend his whole career losing comparisons.

SportsNation has consistently ranked Rivers as a top-10 quarterback, as befits a guy who led the league in passer rating last season. The only problem is three of the guys often ranked ahead of him: Drew Brees, Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger. Brees, of course, is the guy the Chargers traded when they needed to make room for Rivers, whom they acquired during the 2004 draft when Manning made it clear he didn't want to play in San Diego (all with Roethlisberger still on the board).

Rivers is always going to be compared against Manning and Roethlisberger, but the Brees comparison is more intriguing, considering they actually had both guys on the roster. Would you rather have Brees, 30, or Rivers, 27, if you were planning for the next six seasons?

• 84 percent of voters say class of '04 will never match the Elway-Marino-Kelly class of '83
• 61 percent of voters say Roethlisberger is the best member of the class of 2004.
• Beyond the Nation: San Diego Union Tribune's Tim Sullivan on windows of opportunity.

“

I shed tears of pain when we selected Manning and tears of joy when we traded for Rivers. Phillip has the passion and skills needed to be a top 3 league qb for years and years to come. He may only run a 8 second 40m but i'll take him over anyone in the league besides brady and the p. manning. I am one seriously excited Charger's fan right now

” -- JBen2120

“

This guy is immature and simply not that good. But then again, San Diego management is completely incompetent.

” -- TorreroX

“

Dude, it's fine if you don't like Rivers, or if you like your QB better, but to say that the leading QB in all but one significant statistical category last year (AND a QB who lead his team to several come-from-behind wins, and won what amounted to 4 straight do-or-die games, and who has very good career statistics, and who has a 2/3rds winning percentage, and who has never lost a game in December that he's started...should I go on?) is a crap quarterback is just pure ignorance.

” -- jawlz

Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd have more than enough weapons to succeed, which they will flaunt on today's edition of "SportsNation" TV.

Argue the hot topics, vote on the biggest stories and chat during the show, on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. and midnight ET.

Note: Broadcast voting results as of afternoon ET.

Will Peyton Manning retire as a Colt?
His little brother just signed a massive contract, so does that mean Peyton's next contract will be too expensive for the Colts to match?

Which team needs Red Sox-Yankees series more?
The Yankees are 0-8 against the Red Sox this season, but does that necessarily mean they need the series more than their rivals?

Should Michael Crabtree sit out the year?
Michael Crabtree is generating headlines, thanks to one of his "advisers" saying he is prepared to sit out the season. Good idea or bad idea?

Does Eli Manning have enough weapons to succeed?
The New York Giants have 97 million reasons to expect Eli Manning to succeed. But does he have the receiving corp to do it?

Which is the better way to celebrate?
Pies to the face are so cliche. Why not cake? We tackle the tough questions here in SportsNation, so give this one some real thought before you vote.

What is "SportsNation" TV, and how do you make your voice heard? Read about the new ESPN show that features fan opinions with calls, tweets, polls, rankers and more.