Donovan McNabb is 23 of 31 in passing for a 74.2 completion rate, with one touchdown, no interceptions and a 112.7 passer rating. US Presswire

On the strength of Monday night's showing, which came less than eight months after he blew out his knee in the Bengals' Jan. 8 divisional-round playoff loss to Pittsburgh, Palmer jumps to the head of the list of comeback quarterbacks in the NFL this preseason. With the hold-your-breath final week of the preseason unlikely to include much participation by starting quarterbacks, here's how we have the on-the-rebound set ranked in terms of readiness with the regular-season opener just days away:

1. Carson Palmer, Cincinnati: Really, now, what more do we need to see? Palmer's back, and he proved it almost every way he could have in his preseason debut. He dropped back. He rolled out. He ran with the ball. He threw the ball with precision. And perhaps most importantly, he was knocked down three times by Packers defenders, absorbing his first contact since January without so much as a limp.

If anything, Palmer might have set the bar a tad too high for himself. He led the Bengals to three touchdowns and a field goal on his four first-half drives. If he had any mental reservations about his ability to put his injury in the past, they certainly didn't show against Green Bay. The Bengals now know what to expect in their opener at Kansas City on Sept. 10: the same old Palmer.

2. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia: He lost the last seven games of 2005 to a sports hernia, but his physical maladies weren't even the most painful thing he endured last season. So far, his attempt to return to his Super Bowl form of 2004 is coming along nicely. He hasn't been spectacular this preseason, but when is Philadelphia's offense ever spectacular?

The Eagles have scored between 10 and 20 points in all four of their preseason games, splitting them 2-2. But McNabb, while not connecting for the big play, has been coolly efficient. He's 23 of 31 in passing for a blistering 74.2 completion rate, with one touchdown, no interceptions and a 112.7 passer rating. He has been sacked four times, and his modest 9.1 yards per attempt is reflective of the Eagles' search for both a downfield receiving threat to replace Terrell Owens and a running game that makes defenses respect Philly's passing game.

McNabb's latest work might have been his best of the preseason. He led the Eagles on two field goal drives in his two series of work against visiting Pittsburgh last Friday night, going 7 of 9 for 79 yards in Philadelphia's 16-7 defeat of the Super Bowl champions.

3. Daunte Culpepper, Miami: He was said to be ahead of schedule this offseason in his rehabilitation from knee surgery, and that has been born out in that he has played in all three of Miami's preseason games. His statistics are more than solid: 22 of 30 for 218 yards, a 73.3 completion percentage and a 93.5 QB rating. But his impact has yet to show up. In his 10 drives, Miami has scored only one touchdown and two field goals, punting six times and losing the ball on downs once.

Culpepper has yet to throw a touchdown or an interception, and his Dolphins are only 1-2, with a ho-hum 13-10 win at Tampa Bay in Week 2. Culpepper looked his best last week in a 19-10 loss at Carolina. He was 14 of 19 in passing for 130 yards, no sacks and a 92.0 passer rating, even though Miami trailed 13-3 when he exited at halftime. Culpepper has been efficient with the ball, and Miami has to be encouraged by that after his turnover-strewn first half of 2005. But his playmaking ability has yet to show itself, and the Dolphins are going to need that if they are to challenge New England for division supremacy.

4. Drew Brees, New Orleans: The Saints let Brees finally cut it loose against the Colts on Saturday, but nothing much good happened. On his eight drives in the 27-14 loss to visiting Indy, the Saints scored only one touchdown, missed a field goal, punted twice, fumbled once, threw two interceptions and turned the ball over on downs. He finished 19 of 29 for 189 yards but threw those two picks and finished with a paltry 55.1 passer rating.

Veteran Brees watchers say the ex-Charger still looks as if he's playing tentatively and is not quite confident in his surgically repaired throwing shoulder. His only touchdown drive came against the Colts, and like Culpepper, Brees has yet to throw a scoring pass for his new team. For the preseason he is 31 of 50 for 316 yards, but his 62 percent completion rate isn't enough to offset a 63.4 QB rating. Brees has a ways to go before he resembles the quarterback who led San Diego to 21 wins the past two seasons.

5. Chad Pennington, N.Y. Jets: Pennington on Tuesday was named the Jets' starter for their opener at Tennessee, a move that came as absolutely no surprise after he clearly beat out Patrick Ramsey, Kellen Clemens and Brooks Bollinger in training camp. But being better than those three and being back where the Jets need him to be are entirely different stories.

Pennington has played in only two preseason games, and he won't play in New York's preseason finale this week against Philadelphia. That means he'll enter the regular season not having produced a point on any of his 10 preseason possessions. Not even a field goal. So while he has overachieved in some respects, winning the starting job without much of a fight, his victory will be rather hollow if the trends continue. He's 20 of 34 this preseason for 179 yards, with no touchdowns, one interception and a 60.8 passer rating.

What bodes even worse for Pennington is the present state of the Jets' running game, which is missing Curtis Martin and must rely on the likes of Kevan Barlow, Leon Washington and Cedric Houston. Even in his best seasons, Pennington hasn't been able to succeed solely on the strength (or lack thereof) of his right arm. If defenses don't remotely respect New York's rushing attack, Pennington's dink-and-dunk style of passing will become eminently stoppable.

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