1)Donovan McNabb: There have been many, myself included, who have forgotten about McNabb. Yesterday, he reminded us why he led the Eagles to 4 straight NFC championship games between 2001 and 2004. McNabb threw for 314 yards and 3 Tds on 25-of-34 passing against the lowly Houston Texans. Granted, it was against one of the worst teams in all of football, but it sure looks like McNabb Eagles will again be competitive in the NFC.
2)Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush: The New Orleans running game looked like a well-oiled machine on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. McAllister carried the ball 22 times for 90 yards while Bush amassed 61 yards on 14 carries. That's 36 combined carries for 151 yards. Not spectacular, but pretty darn good against a Browns defense with the lusty Ted Washington clogging up running lanes. If the Saints' running game maintains that level of production, they're going to be in a lot of close games.
3) Chad Pennington: Carson Palmer, Daunte Culpepper, and Drew Brees all fared well in their first game back from surgery. We heard a lot less about Chad Pennington's situation in the offseason, but that will change as he out-performed all three QBs in his impressive week 1 performance. Pennington went 24-of-33 for 319 yards and 2 TDs. He displayed his usual brilliant touch on short and intermediate balls, but he also showed off some decent arm strength on deep out balls. Make no mistake about it, the Jets are not a playoff team. They almost let the Kerry Collins-led Titans steal this one, but it's good to see Pennington return in top form. He's a classy and fiery competitor who's come under pretty intense New York scrutiny.
4) Kurt Warner: I don't know if he belongs on this list given the fact that he was throwing at home against a horrible 49ers defense, but I'll give him his due I suppose. He did finish 23-of-37 for 301 yards and 3 TDs. He and WR sensation Larry Fitzgerald hooked up 9 times for 133 yards. If the Cardinals offense can continue to run the ball 29 times a game and get 250-300 yards passing from Warner, they're going to put up some huge numbers.
5)Ravens Defense: The Ravens defense turned back the clock a few years, looking as dominant as they did in 2001 when they won a Super Bowl. Baltimore held the Bucaneers to just 137 yards passing, and an even more meager 26 yards on the ground. And they did this on the road! Fantasy owners everywhere were delighted to see the Ravens pick off three passes, record 3 sacks, and even score a TD. Looks like the AFC North is going to be awfully competitive with the Ravens, Bengals, and Steelers all duking it out for divisional supremacy.