National Football League

Young Jet invites himself to gathering of NFL's top QBs

Published Jan. 19, 2010 12:00 a.m. ET

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The Jets' upset saved the divisional round of the playoffs from being a total bust.

And a young, surprise quarterback got invited to sit with the big boys.

It's Schein 9 time ...

1. Three Men and a Baby

The MVP is here. So is the 40-year-old wonder. And the Saints offensive juggernaut. But the fifth overall pick in the draft spoiled the party of having the four best quarterbacks, the top four MVP candidates, in 2009 all playing on championship Sunday.

We'll call them three men and a baby. And the storylines are numerous and juicy.

Brett Favre put on a show Sunday afternoon against the red-hot Cowboys. Favre was magical, throwing for four touchdowns. And in a game where I thought he didn't have the matchups against a hard-charging and confident Dallas defense, Favre didn't throw that ill-fated pick, pitching a perfect game. Favre established a beautiful rhythm with his Pro Bowl receiver Sidney Rice, who caught three of his touchdowns.

It's amazing to think Drew Brees and the Saints actually trailed 7-0 on Saturday afternoon. Doesn't Tim Hightower's 70-yard scamper feel as if it happened weeks ago? So, all Brees did was lead the Saints to whopping 45-14 win against Arizona, answering with three touchdowns in the first half.

Brees is a total machine. Favre played like the star we saw in November, not the quarterback who acted his age in December. Both will be challenged on Sunday. The Vikings defense found its swagger again, led by a thunderous performance by the defensive line. And the Saints defense can make plays against Favre, as the Cardinals found out on Saturday.

Brees is searching for that elusive championship, while Favre is trying to go out on the ultimate high note. If Favre can win the Super Bowl with a new team after an idle offseason when he retired, it would an unprecedented tale of greatness.