The Fine Fifteen

Terrell Owens had six catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns in the Cowboys' win over the Giants on Sunday. AP

MAILBAG Peter King will answer your questions each week in Monday Morning Quarterback: Tuesday Edition. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

1. New England (9-0). Bye Week Thought of the Week: Since Oct. 18, the Hub's baseball, basketball and football teams (Sox, Celts, Pats) are 15-0.

2. Indianapolis (7-2). Have you ever seen a more disastrous stretch of Peyton Manning football than the first quarter Sunday night? Check out the wide receivers who dressed for the Colts in San Diego: Reggie Wayne, Aaron Moorehead (27 career catches in 34 games before Sunday night), Craphonso Thorpe (zero career catches, signed Oct. 6 off the Colts' practice squad). That's it.

3. Dallas (8-1). The Cowboys play four of their next five at home, including a pivotal Nov. 29 game against Green Bay.

4. Pittsburgh (7-2). And thus ends the AFC North pennant race. The Steelers are 4-0 in the division, with a 2 1/2-game lead on second-place Cleveland. (The half-game comes from holding the tiebreaker edge because of the season sweep over the Browns.) What this means is if Pittsburgh goes 4-3 down the stretch, Cleveland will have to go 7-0 to win the division.

5. Green Bay (8-1). Keys to the game: Green Bay ran it well, which was stunning given that the Packers hadn't rushed well all season and that Minnesota had held Tomlinson to 40 yards on the ground last week. Plus, unlike the first Pack-Vikes game on Sept. 30, when Adrian Peterson averaged 9.3 yards per carry and kept Minnesota in it, Green Bay controlled the kid at Lambeau. Peterson: 11 carries, 45 yards before leaving with a sprained knee.

6. San Diego (5-4). Sunday night: What might have been. What still might be.

7. New York Giants (6-3). Tom Coughlin took the coaching job in New York in 2004. The Giants started 5-2 in 2004, 6-2 in 2005, 6-2 in 2006, and 6-2 in 2007 ... and haven't won a playoff game under Coughlin yet. That's why the 31-20 loss to Dallas is more than just a disappointing home loss to the best team in the NFC. It might be a harbinger of past woes to come.

NOTE: Giant gulf in the Fine 15 right here.

8. Tennessee (6-3). I almost put Albert Haynesworth in my MVP top five this week. Maybe I should have. Jacksonville abused the Titans with a 166-yard rushing day with Haynesworth out of the lineup.

9. Cleveland (5-4). Showed me as much in defeat as most teams do in wins.

10. Detroit (6-3). I could feel the Leos losing in the desert. They're just not good enough yet to just show up and win. By the way, they've got the Giants, Packers and Cowboys at home over the next four weeks.

11. Jacksonville (6-3). You go figure the depths of the AFC South. All I know is the Jags need David Garrard back -- now.

12. Tampa Bay (5-4). I wonder if Jon Gruden got up at 3:17 a.m. on the Bucs' days off during their bye week.

13. Philadelphia (4-5). With people firing at Andy Reid from inside and outside the organization and locker room, I'm told he needed this win personally more than he's needed a win since the Super Bowl.

14. Buffalo (5-4). Like I said on TV last night, the Bills are thrilled NBC changed a 1 p.m. Sunday game with New England to the Michaels-and-Madden 8:30 p.m. tilt. If you don't know why, you were not watching the Oct. 8 Most Important Game In Recent Western New York History, the Dallas-Buffalo Monday-nighter.

15. Washington (5-4). Maybe. I guess.

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