Replacement referees Think they had a negative impact? Take away that Hail Mary against Seattle and the Packers have a bye, the Seahawks are out, Bears are in.
4
The Colts They released Peyton Manning, drafted Andrew Luck, temporarily lost their coach to cancer. And they made the playoffs.
3
Rookie QBs Along with Luck, Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson are in the playoffs. Maybe the best QB draft since 1983.
2
Adrian Peterson Fine, it's a quarterback league. But his story is almost every bit as good as Manning's.
1
Peyton Manning So why is Manning No. 1? Because he changed teams. Many thought he was done. He's not.
Tony Massarotti is a Globe sportswriter and has been writing about sports in Boston for the last 19 years. A lifelong Bostonian, Massarotti graduated from Waltham High School and Tufts University. He was voted the Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by his peers in 2000 and 2008 and has been a finalist for the award on several other occasions. This blog won a 2008 EPpy award for "Best Sports Blog".