Greeson: Broncos head of the class, at least till Thanksgiving

Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog

We are halfway through the NFL season, and what do we know?

We know the Dallas Cowboys, who inexplicably lost at home to Washington and Colt McCoy on Monday, are still better than we thought.

We know the NFC South is rotten.

We know that coaching seats are heating up in Atlanta, New York and potentially Chicago, which has underachieved.

We know that the annual meeting between Peyton and Brady this Sunday will be the most watched game of the season. (And rightfully so.) It's funny how the NFL miraculously gets this star-studded showdown every year, you know?

We know that the league has launched an impressive ad campaign against domestic violence that we all saw this past weekend, and while the message was clear and direct and spot-on, it did remind us that the preseason problems have yet to be addressed. (Regardless of the images and the outrage, the NFL is culpable in our view that Ray Rice is still suspended while Jim Irsay, who was originally charged with four felonies, is back under the Shield.)

And we know -- like we have for a while -- that good quarterback play is critically important.

Let's examine the top five and the worst five teams in the league, and see if you notice a common theme (and that theme is just as evident in the stinky five as it is in the top five):

1) Denver Peytons. Manning and Co. have become the class of the league, a fact that has become common for Manning-quarterbacked teams before Halloween. Whether Manning's Broncos can continue that dominance after Thanksgiving, well, that's the million-dollar question.

2) New England Bradys. Injuries? Blah. Turmoil? Humbug. Trades and discontent? Who needs it? Tom Brady is now the coolest guy in sports since Derek Jeter retired, and that's saying something since Brady frequently wears women's boots.

3) Arizona Cardinals. OK, the Cardinals are the outlier because they are here with the hodgepodge platter at quarterback and with a collection of good -- if not great -- draft picks that have forged a roster that is talented front to back.

4) Dallas Cowboys. Yes, the Cowboys lost to the woeful Washington bunch. Still, the Cowboys may have the best big four combo -- QB-WR-RB-TE -- in the game with Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, DeMarco Murray and Jason Witten.

5) Indy Colts. Yes, the Colts got broken by the Steelers on Sunday. Still, Andrew Luck has made the leap and passed Drew Brees to reach the Rushmore of current NFL quarterbacks.

Bottom five

28) Tennessee Titans. Just a step behind the wretched Falcons, can anyone name one thing Titans fans can be excited about? Didn't think so.

29) Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When the time comes calling and you need a drive to tie the game with your soul on the line and you look over and your choices are Mike Glennon or Josh McCown, well, here's hoping you have made peace with the Lord.

30) New York Jets. Bye, Rex, we'll miss you. Seriously, Rex Ryan has been a better coach than his record would indicate, considering he's made two AFC finals and has been competitive consistently before this year with the hodgepodge platter of Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith and now Mike Vick at quarterback.

31) Jacksonville Jaguars. Ladies and gentlemen, the Blake Bortles era is just beginning. Or maybe it's starting to end. Either way, will someone wake us when the Jags move to Los Angeles?

32) Oakland Raiders. Speaking of moving to L.A., the Raiders actually have a potential quarterback of the future in Derek Carr. Now they need to find a roster of the future at a slew of the other positions.

Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com

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