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All good things must come to an end (although if the Orange Bowl halftime show of Kool and the Gang is any indication, mediocrity has some serious staying power). But does Mike Shanahan's arrival in the nation's capital mean they can begin again?

From Richie Petitbon through Norv Turner, Marty Schottenheimer, Steve Spurrier, Jim Zorn and even the second coming of Joe Gibbs, an entire generation of football fans doesn't remember when the Redskins were one of the NFL's good things. As for the new guy, he's a popular choice, but two problems come to mind before we even get to Daniel Snyder, problems highlighted by SportsNation voters.

• John Elway's old coach may not be George Seifert riding the coattails of Joe Montana and Steve Young to multiple Super Bowl titles, but he's not exactly Bill Parcells or Jimmy Johnson, either.
• And not only is incumbent Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell not Elway, he's not even in the same league as Shanahan's most recent gunslinger, the guy who just threw 26 picks for the Bears.

• Vote: Which coaches should clean out their desks? | Rate every NFL head coach
• Map: Next up for the Redskins? Voters like Mike Shanahan more than Bill Cowher.
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The Jets make the playoffs two weeks after their head coach says they're eliminated. The Texans finally finish with a winning record. Chris Johnson rushes for 2,000 yards. All very impressive, to be sure. And we'll get back to the whole playoff thing in a bit. But the most surprising feat of the entire NFL season? Eric Mangini might have saved his job.

News came down early Monday morning that the Redskins had officially parted ways with Jim Zorn, the first shot in the NFL tradition that is "Black Monday" for embattled head coaches. But might Mangini escape the gallows? The Browns won their fourth consecutive game Sunday -- the first time that's happened since a guy named Bill Belichick did it in 1994. And instead of trying to drown the once-reviled coach in Lake Erie, players dumped a celebratory bucket of (presumably) Gatorade over his head.

Here's how some coaches on the hot seat fared in SportsNation over the final few weeks.

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Maybe it's people finally coming around on Andre Johnson as the league's best receiver (or at least good argument fodder against Larry Fitzgerald). Maybe it's fans of every other AFC playoff participant channeling Machiavelli. But at least within the confines of Week 17 and the wild-card race, the Houston Texans are more "America's Team" than that other team.

That SportsNation appears to be rooting for the Texans against the Patriots and against the playoff odds this weekend is a little surprising, considering the team hasn't exactly been highly regarded this season. As you can see, SportsNation ranked it last among the five main wild-card contenders (sorry, Dolphins and Jaguars) at just about every stop.

So what needs to happen for the Texans to claim their first playoff berth? Just beat the Patriots and get help with two wins from the Chiefs, Raiders and what's likely to be the Bengals' second string. Uh-oh. Assuming a win against the Patriots, here are the scenarios.

1. Jets lose or tie against Bengals AND Ravens lose or tie against Raiders
2. Jets lose or tie against Bengals AND Broncos lose or tie against Chiefs
3. Ravens lose or tie against Raiders AND Broncos lose or tie against Chiefs

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Just in case the playoff races weren't generating enough story lines, the NFL has blessed us this holiday week with several side dishes to munch on. Brett Favre and Brad Childress aired out some grievances which led us to ask you which one has more power on the Vikings. Mike Holgren took a job as the main man in Cleveland but fans are wondering if Seattle might have been a better opportunity. The Saints lost and pretty much every former player on ESPN's payroll is laughing at SportsNation's belief that a loss can be a good thing. And there were at least a few folks in Montana who didn't completely dismiss the Redskins' botched fake field goal as the worst play they have ever seen.

• Vote: Should Jason Campbell serve another term as Redskins QB?
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Don't look now (although if you want to look at around 8:30 ET tonight on ESPN, we'd appreciate it greatly), but the Redskins aren't abysmal anymore. They aren't necessarily good, either, but you've got to walk before you run.

Back on Nov. 9, the Redskins were 2-6, coming off an ugly loss against the Falcons and ranked No. 26 by SportsNation. They've gone 2-3 since then, which won't be enough to save Jim Zorn's job but might be enough to suggest they could end the Giants' postseason hopes once and for all tonight. And yet they still ranked No. 26 last week.

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Your move, Mr. Brees. Peyton Manning used his national (sort of) stage to full advantage Thursday night, leading the Colts to yet another come-from-behind win in the fourth quarter with a memorable long touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne. Now it's Drew Brees' turn to keep his team marching toward perfection on a national (sort of) stage Saturday night.

Unlike the Heisman race, which seemed in search of a favorite all season, the MVP chase in the NFL has been a two-man duel since early in October.

On the flip side, Wade Phillips and the Cowboys might not be so thrilled about having Saturday's spotlight all to themselves. Phillips matched a season low last week with a 14 percent approval rating from SportsNation, and a loss in New Orleans won't improve matters.

• "If Dallas loses out, I don't see how Wade Phillips keeps his job. Unfortunately, I see Dallas losing out. New Orleans, I see winning out. This is their only test left. Roy Williams is giving instigation to a team that doesn't need to be instigated. I use to think Roy Williams was a class act until this season. The Saints are going to do everything in their power to finish 16-0. ... DAL 16 NO 32." -- Read Feldman9000's full post.

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SportsNation has been consistent in picking the NFC East as the best division in the league throughout the season, most recently in early October, early November and right now. Picking which team is the best within the division? Well, that's a different story. All three key players in the drama (sorry, Jim Zorn) have been ranked ahead of their rivals at some point this season. And things could take another turn for the confused this weekend, with the possibility for anything from a three-way tie atop the division to a solo lead for either the Eagles or Cowboys.

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Peyton Manning and the Colts have registered some impressive victories over some excellent teams but they will meet a Titans squad on Sunday that is hotter than anything they have seen all season. Quarterback Vince Young and running back Chris Johnson have hogged the highlight reels of late on their way to a five-game winning streak but not all of SportsNation is buying into the Titans' hype. One person that is . . .

• "This is a whole new Titans squad. They are completely different than the first time these two met this season. Hard to believe one person can make that much of a difference. Vince Young is looking better than he ever has. The Colts, however, are still undefeated and have managed this tougher schedule quite well. But personally this is going to be the upset of the week and I think the Colts will actually lose one more before season's end, kind of like Denver did in 1998." Read all of Feldman9000's Week 13 picks.

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Tony Romo stayed a perfect 4-0 in Thanksgiving Day games as the Cowboys exploded for 24 points after scoring only a single touchdown against the fading Redskins in the final minutes of Week 11. While Dallas leaves its fans on the edge of their seats week after week, the perfect 10-0 Saints seem to just steamroll over every team in their path. Our NFL analysts Marcellus Wiley and Tedy Bruschi are split on who they think will win Monday night in the Superdome, while SportsNation is clear that they believe the Saints will win and keep pace with the undefeated Colts.

• "The Colts got so lucky that the Ravens didn't execute on the Colts' mistakes. The Colts will and should be looking for redemption and the Cowboys aren't going to have a chance getting to the second round of the playoffs if they can barely beat WASHINGTON 7-6. Romo and the Cowboys are going to fluke." Read 1830Robert's full post.

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Brad Childress gets Brett Favre and quickly ends up with a hefty contract extension. Lovie Smith gets Jay Cutler and finds people wondering if he'll soon be unemployed. Some guys have all the luck. Nevertheless, the Bears enter Sunday's showdown against the Eagles just one game off the wild-card pace, despite losing their past two. And Cutler's old team in Denver has lost three in a row and may be without Kyle Orton against the Chargers this week. One SportsNation blogger thinks Cutler is still the right guy for the Bears, but does his new team or his old team need a win more this week?

• "Cutler has the ability to win games for his team; an ability that was overly praised when Brett Favre was in Green Bay but is now largely overlooked in evaluating today's quarterbacks (for some reason, people have fallen in love with "guys who just know how to win," forgetting that those guys have either rock solid defenses or unstoppable running games). But don't ask me, ask any of the many quarterback-starved teams in the league if they would give up exactly what the Bears gave up to get Cutler to begin with right now." Read afjumpfan23's full post.