He is the highest-rated quarterback in the league. He's tied for second in touchdown passes, he's thrown only three interceptions and his team is 9-1. Without him last year at this time, the Vikings were 5-5.

Yet, Brett Favre still shouldn't be considered the MVP at this point in the season.

Favre has been spectacular, but the elephant that will be in the room when voters cast their ballots at the end of the regular season and consider Favre will be the presence of an All-Pro running back,  Adrian Peterson, in Favre's backfield. That is an ally the quality of which Peyton Manning and Drew Brees do not have. The Colts and Saints, though, are undefeated.

Yes, it's true that Favre doesn't have the benefit of playing with a receiver the caliber of Reggie Wayne or Marques Colston, but neither of those players is a viable contender for the MVP award. Peterson is and he will most likely take votes away from Favre, since some will contend that Favre isn't even the most valuable player on his own team. You won't hear that kind of argument when it comes to Manning or Brees.

Favre is having one of the best seasons of his 19-year career, but he has a ways to go before he passes up the two front-runners on this list.

1. Colts QB Peyton Manning — Manning may have had his worst game of the year on Sunday — he completed 22-of-31 passes for 299 yards, one TD and two interceptions. You know this quarterback must be one of the best when he completes 71 percent of his passes, throws for 299 yards and leads his team to a win, and he still has it referred to as arguably his worst performance of the year.

2. Saints QB Drew Brees — Mark Brunell relieved Brees of his duties late in New Orleans' 38-7 rout of the Buccaneers, but not before Brees threw three TDs. He also didn't throw a pick for the first time since Week Six, setting the stage for one of the most anticipated games of the year as the Saints host the Patriots next week. No one has more TD passes than Brees' 22.

3. Vikings QB Brett Favre — Favre set a single-game career high by completing 88 percent of his passes vs. the Seahawks on Sunday in Minnesota's 35-9 rout. He threw for four TDs in less than three full quarters of work against Seattle and now has a TD-interception ratio of 21-3. Not bad.

4. Chargers QB Philip Rivers — The Chargers opted to run the ball late after building up a big lead over the bumbling Broncos in Week 11, but Rivers had the offense humming early, as he completed 13 of his first 14 passes. He's been pretty close to perfect over the past two weeks, and San Diego now sits alone atop the AFC West.

5. Vikings RB Adrian Peterson — Peterson drops a couple of spots this week, but not because he played all that poorly while rushing 24 times for 82 yards vs. the Seahawks. His two-spot fall is fueled by the performances of Rivers and Favre, who have been nearly flawless recently.

6. Patriots QB Tom Brady — Since the Patriots lost to the Jets in Week Two, Brady has compiled a TD-interception ratio of 18-4, and the team has gone 6-2. Those two losses were by a combined four points. Brady had his revenge vs. the Jets on Sunday, throwing for more than 300 yards for the fifth consecutive game in the Patriots' 31-14 victory.

7. Titans RB Chris Johnson — No running back in the league is playing better than Johnson. He hasn't been held to fewer than 128 rushing yards since Oct. 11 and is still averaging more than six yards per carry 10 games into the season. His elite athleticism and elusiveness were on full display in Tennessee's win over the Texans Monday night.

8. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers — Either Rodgers is finally learning to get rid of the ball on time or the Packers' offensive line is improving. It may be a little bit of both, as he was sacked just twice in the team's win over the 49ers on Sunday while completing 32-of-45 passes for 344 yards, two TDs and no interceptions. He has not been picked off in four of his past five games.

9. Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew — He was held to 66 yards on 25 carries in Jacksonville's win over Buffalo, but he scored a TD for the fifth consecutive game. The Jags are 4-1 since Jones-Drew caught fire.

10. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger — Big Ben is going to need a solid bounce-back performance against the Ravens to remain a viable contender in this race. Pittsburgh has lost two straight, and Roethlisberger was not at his best in either game.

Honorable mention: Colts WR Reggie Wayne, Patriots WR Randy Moss, Vikings DE Jared Allen, Texans QB Matt Schaub, Saints FS Darren Sharper, Broncos OLB Elvis Dumervil, Colts DE Dwight Freeney, Eagles QB Donovan McNabb, Steelers OLB James Harrison, Bengals RB Cedric Benson.

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