Once again we can’t ignore the two guys who have their teams at 10-0. Beyond that, there are a few others who are still overachieving, including Josh McDaniels, who brought his team back from the dead last night with a feisty effort against the Giants. Meanwhile, is anyone starting to sense that Jeff Fisher may be on our radar here? If you start 0-6 then win four straight and start to sniff any chance at the playoffs, that is just mind-blowing. It’s safe to say that if he does bring his Titans all the way back, it may be even more impressive than 16-0 would be.

1. Jim Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts—They just beat the Patriots and Ravens back to back, and are absolutely going to coast to a first round bye. However, they need to finish the job this time as they did three seasons ago.

2. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints—Finally the Saints dominated in a game they had to dominate. Now they face their biggest test of the season at home Monday night against the Patriots. Both offenses are so explosive that I’m fully expecting 80 points between the teams. And if Payton’s Saints win, he will have earned his spot here again.

3. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals—A heartbreaking loss in Oakland was a devastating blow, but the Steelers and Ravens also lost. Now, Lewis has a chance for his team to be 6-0 in the division by beating the Browns at home Sunday. Can he do it? Does Howdy Doody have a wooden butt?

4. Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings—His team is 9-1 heading into Sunday’s game against Chicago, and if he wins that one, as he should, Childress will continue to remain on this short list.

5. Josh McDaniels, Denver Broncos—After being 6-0 and losing four straight in horrible fashion, McDaniels and his potty mouth brought his team back from the dead last night. That was impressive (the comeback, as well as the mouth). They will be a tough out for someone in the playoffs, assuming they can still get there.

Honorable mention: Ken Whisenhunt, Cardinals; Jack Del Rio, Jaguars, Jeff Fisher, Titans; Bill Belichick, Patriots

With Drew Brees and Peyton Manning leading their teams to victory again, barely, there is no good reason to drop them in the rankings here. Meanwhile, Brett Favre and Jared Allen did not play, so we held spots for them, but moved Cedric Benson up based on a second 100-yard rushing performance against the Ravens.

1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—Halfway through the season, Brees and his Saints are 8-0 and have a three game lead in their division. Suffice to say, this team appears to be headed toward a first round bye, and their QB is one of the biggest reasons.

2. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—After a subpar start to 2008 after knee surgery, Manning wanted to get off to a fast start this season, and he has done just that. But what might be more impressive is that after Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, he’s throwing to guys named Garcon and Collie.

3. Cedric Benson, Cincinnati Bengals—He rushed for 120 yards against the Ravens in Week 5, and 117 yards against them in Week 9. Read that back. That’s two 100 yard games against the Baltimore Ravens, and that’s just sick.

4. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings—The old man still has it, much to the dismay of everyone in Northern Wisconsin. You think Ted Thompson is sleeping well lately?

5. Jared Allen, Minnesota Vikings—He’s had two weeks to rest those wheels that never seem to stop moving. Next on Allen’s hit list is that poor Stafford kid in Detroit.

Honorable Mention–Elvis Dumervil, Broncos; Andre Johnson, Texans, Tom Brady, Patriots; Adrian Peterson, Vikings; Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars, Chris Johnson, Titans; Reggie Wayne, Colts; Michael Turner, Falcons; Reggie Wayne, Colts; Steve Smith, Giants