MMQB (cont.)

The Award Section

In their first meeting since being traded for each other on draft day 2004, Philip Rivers (left) got the best of Eli Manning. AP

Offensive Player of the Week

Philip Rivers, QB, San Diego.

Pedestrian stats (24 of 36, 209 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions), but it all came down to the final 2:05 for Rivers. Quarterbacks are judged on what they do in the clutch, and Rivers is in this space because he came through in said clutch time at Giants Stadium. New York leading 20-14, Charger ball at their 20, 2:05 to play. He moved the Chargers downfield steadily, never getting to third down, until the ball lay at the Giants' 18 with 29 seconds left. "That's where you need to have poise,'' Norv Turner said afterward. And a good arm. Rivers lofted a perfect fade into the right corner of the end zone to Vincent Jackson and the Chargers left town victorious.

Defensive Players of the Week

Dwight Freeney, DE, Indianapolis.

Freeney's never been better. Dating to Week 17 last year, he's had sacks in nine consecutive regular-season games. On the first Houston offensive snap Sunday, he roared around left tackle Duane Brown for a three-yard sack. In the second quarter, with Houston trying to convert a third down and make the game remotely competitive, Freeney bull-rushed Brown despite being 65 pounds lighter -- and met Robert Mathis at the quarterback for a combo-sack. For the game, Freeney had two tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Clifton Smith, RB/KR, Tampa Bay.

Great to see Smith, waylaid on the cheap shot by Carolina's Dante Wesley last month, back in action ... and helping previously winless Tampa Bay stun the Packers. With Green Bay up 28-17 early in the fourth quarter, Smith took the kickoff at the goal line and rambled 83 yards, setting up a Josh Freeman touchdown pass. That led to two more fourth-quarter touchdowns and a 38-28 win. For the day, he added a 24-yard kick return and four punt returns for 54 yards.

Coach of the Week

Mike Heimerdinger, offensive coordinator, Tennessee.

No one had much faith in Vince Young to jump-start his career when Jeff Fisher officially benched Kerry Collins 11 days ago. The job to remake Young fell to Heimerdinger, and he did the smart thing. He had Young throw mostly safe passes in his first two games, safe enough that he's completed 73 percent of his throws, with some help from the acrobatic Justin Gage along the way. As long as Young plays turnover-free, the Titans have a chance each week. Heimerdinger's teaching and planning the past two weeks have been vital in making the Titans competitive again.

Goat of the Week

Tommie Harris, DT, Chicago.

Harris is a pal from our trip to Afghanistan a year and a half ago, but there's no excuse for the stunt he pulled 64 seconds into the Cards-Bears game. Angry at a perceived cheap shot by the Cards, Harris reared back and slugged Arizona guard Deuce Lutui. If you're Lovie Smith, you have to do something internally to discipline Harris for putting the team in such a terrible spot so early in a must game. "Tommie Harris has to be smarter than that,'' Smith said.

MVP Watch

I don't like removing Jared Allen, because he didn't play this week and did nothing to fall out of the top five. And I hate having quarterbacks in each spot. But I wanted to get Tom Brady in here because he's back to looking like the 2007 Brady.

1. Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis. It's a simple argument to me, Manning over Brees. Manning's playing with a bottom-five rushing game and, to survive, has to win the game offensively mostly by his arm. Drew Brees has a top-five running game. Even if they were flat equal -- and they are very close in all aspects -- the fact is Manning's value is magnified because of the lack of a running game.

2. Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans. It was good to see the Saints rebound from some real adversity in the win over Carolina, coming back from a 14-0 deficit, and Brees' 330 passing yards played a big role in it.

3. Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh. Five years ago, the Steelers were 60 percent run. This year they might be 60 percent pass. It's all because Roethlisberger has earned Mike Tomlin's trust.

4. Brett Favre, QB, Minnesota. It'll be interesting to see if the groin injury that Favre suffered 12 days ago and aggravated eight days ago is going to be a recurring factor as the 40-year-old QB tries to make it through the final eight weeks of the regular season.

5. Tom Brady, QB, New England. If Brady threw for 4,700 yards, 32 touchdowns and completed 66 percent of his throws for the year, we'd all say his comeback season was more than a success, right? Well, he's halfway there.

Stat of the Week I

Arizona, the most explosive team in the 2008 playoffs, has two gains of more than 27 yards in 2009.

Stat of the Week II

Very Bad News for Giants Fans Dept.: No teams has ever lost four games in a row in the regular season and gone on to win the Super Bowl.

Factoid of the Week That May Interest Only Me

First, a quote.

"I kind of laugh when I hear the video board isn't going to be a big factor. It's going to get peppered all season.''
-- Former Tennessee punter A.J. Trapasso after nailing the 165-foot-wide video board hanging 90 feet above the field at the new Dallas stadium in an August preseason game.

The Cowboys have played five games since -- one in the preseason and four in the regular season. Total punts in the five games: 48. Punts that have peppered the videoboard: zero.

You can now say you told us so, Jerry Jones.

Enjoyable/Aggravating Travel Note of the Week

Boarding a flight from Denver to Phoenix last Tuesday, I was in the aisle walking toward the back of the plane. The aisle was full. The plane was going to be full, and it was probably half-boarded.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are ready for immediate departure,'' the flight attendant said, with a bit of urgency. This was a 6 a.m. flight, and now it was about 5:40. "Please take your seats as soon as possible so we can depart.''

About three minutes late, I got to my seat, was putting away my carryon, and the aisle was still full, with a line of maybe 30 people still making if to their seats.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats so we can be ready for an on-time departure,'' she said, more urgently now.

How should we get there, ma'am? By levitating?

It wasn't even 5:45 now. We weren't leaving the gate, minimum, for 15 minutes. And this women was talking like there was a fire onboard and we had to scram or we'd all be cooked. And it wasn't even 6 in the morning, no less. Now that's a good time in the friendly skies right there.

An Expensive Lunch, But A Few Of You Might Be Interested

New England left tackle Matt Light has a foundation, as many players do. The Light Foundation strives to instill honesty and responsibility in young people through outdoor learning experiences that include an outdoor leadership camp and a character-development football camp. He's opened his Outdoor Leadership Camp on several hundred acres in Ohio, and he's trying to raise money to bring at-risk and underprivileged teens from New England, Ohio and the West to the camp. I told him I'd help if I could.

What we're going to do is have lunch at Davio's in Foxboro, just outside Gillette Stadium, on Friday, Dec. 11. We're going to open it to the first 10 people willing to donate $1,000 to the Light Foundation. If you're interested, contact Light's representative, Margrette Mondillo, by email at margrette@goodwinpr.com. We'll hang out that Friday for a couple of hours. Light will tell you every one of the deep, dark Patriot secrets. I won't tell you much, but I'll be there for comic relief.

Shameless MMQB Book Promotion of the Week

A reminder (have I reminded you enough how to buy Monday Morning Quarterback: A fully caffeinated guide to everything you need to know about the NFL yet?) that I have a special deal going with my book.

You can buy the book on Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com or at borders.com, or at your local bookstore. If you live anywhere in North America, you can mail it to me, and I'll sign and/or personalize it and return it, postage-paid. Send by Dec. 4, and I'll mail it back to you by Dec. 12. Plenty of time for holiday giving, folks. Send to:

Chris Mahr
Sports Illustrated
1271 Ave. of the Americas
Room 33-120B
New York, NY 10020