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How big a threat are the Saints?

From 0-4 to 4-0, the New Orleans Saints -- and back-from-the-cold coach Sean Payton -- have returned to elite status. Or have they? It certainly seemed that way when they dispatched the also-previously-undefeated Miami Dolphins 38-17 on "Monday Night Football." Can Drew Brees and Co. continue the success and crash the Broncos' party at the top?

  • Where do the Saints rank among the NFL's best teams?

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      65%
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      35%

    Discuss (Total votes: 5,366)

  • How surprised are you about the Saints' 4-0 start after beginning 0-4 a season ago?

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      15%
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      42%
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      43%

    Discuss (Total votes: 5,252)

  • To what do you attribute the Saints' turnaround this season?

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      6%
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      22%
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      69%
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      3%

    Discuss (Total votes: 4,930)

  • If Peyton Manning is the league's best QB, who is No. 2?

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      30%
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      41%
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      21%
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      8%

    Discuss (Total votes: 12,325)

  • How far will the Saints go this season?

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      2%
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      6%
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      32%
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      41%
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      19%

    Discuss (Total votes: 4,982)

  • Will the Saints reach another Super Bowl with Drew Brees and Sean Payton?

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      75%
    •  
      25%

    Discuss (Total votes: 4,966)

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AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

NFL Week 4: Dolphins at Saints

The Dolphins haven't started a season 4-0 since 1995, a season in which they finished 9-7 and lost in the wild-card round of the playoffs. The Saints haven't reached that mark since their 2009 Super Bowl season. Which team will walk away from their Week 4 matchup still boasting an undefeated record? Will the Dolphins make their first playoff appearance in five seasons?

Which team will win the Dolphins-Saints game in New Orleans? (Monday, 8:30 p.m ET, ESPN)

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    28%
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    72%

Discuss (Total votes: 18,270)

  • Will the Dolphins make the playoffs?

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      69%
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      31%

    Discuss (Total votes: 5,298)

  • Is Ryan Tannehill a franchise quarterback?

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      62%
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      38%

    Discuss (Total votes: 5,246)

  • How much will the Dolphins miss DE Cameron Wake if he is unable to play against the Saints?

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      75%
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      25%

    Discuss (Total votes: 4,683)

  • How will the 3-0 Saints fare over the next three games (vs. Miami, at Chicago, at New England)?

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      12%
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      58%
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      27%
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      3%

    Discuss (Total votes: 4,877)

  • Will Sean Payton and Drew Brees ever win another Super Bowl together?

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      54%
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      46%

    Discuss (Total votes: 4,743)

  • What do you make of the Saints being No. 3 in the latest ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings?

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      42%
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      53%
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      5%

    Discuss (Total votes: 4,680)

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Who's the best in the NFC?

With apologies to the NFC East, whose season did not start until Sunday night, the NFC's major powers -- at least according to the Super Bowl odds -- all played Sunday afternoon. Early on, the Saints held off a late Falcons goal-to-go to open the season 1-0, a nice development, considering New Orleans' 0-4 start a year ago. Seattle, meanwhile, slogged through a 12-7 win over the improved Panthers. In the late game, the Seahawks' NFC West nemesis, San Francisco, outlasted the Packers 34-28, thanks in large part to Colin Kaepernick's 412 passing yards and three TDs. What does all this mean for the National Football Conference?

  • Which NFC team had the best day?

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      57%
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      7%
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      13%
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      19%
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      4%

    Discuss (Total votes: 18,543)

  • What do you make of the 49ers' 34-28 home win over the Packers?

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      45%
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      55%

    Discuss (Total votes: 22,843)

  • The 49ers incorrectly received an extra third down during the second quarter, turning a likely field goal attempt into a TD. How much of a difference did this play make?

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      60%
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      40%

    Discuss (Total votes: 10,259)

  • Which team will win the NFC West?

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      63%
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      31%
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      6%

    Discuss (Total votes: 19,621)

  • What do you make of the Saints' 23-17 home win over the Falcons?

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      58%
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      42%

    Discuss (Total votes: 9,623)

  • Which team will win the NFC South?

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      46%
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      49%
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      5%

    Discuss (Total votes: 10,223)

  • Are the 49ers the best team in the NFC?

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      59%
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      41%

    Discuss (Total votes: 41,766)

  • Which quarterback would you rather have over the next three years?

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      13%
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      31%
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      37%
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      6%
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      13%

    Discuss (Total votes: 10,661)

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video

The Saints ceded control of the NFC South last season to the Falcons, but in fairness, they had a good excuse: coach Sean Payton was in the middle of a season-long suspension. Saints linebacker Junior Galette believes it'll be different this season -- he said the Saints "'want to dominate the division." That's a pretty bold statement, considering just how bad New Orleans' defense was last season, but he does have history on his side: Since 2006, the Saints are 11-3 against the Falcons.

Here's a sampling of what readers had to say in our Facebook conversation on the story:

What do you think? Leave your comments below.

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Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

NFC South Preview -- 2013

For several years in the NFC South, it's been a back-and-forth battle between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints, with last season's bout firmly landing in the Falcons' corner (those bounty scandal suspensions certainly didn't help the Saints). Now New Orleans is looking to rebound, Atlanta aims to take that next step (read: the Super Bowl) and those "other" two teams -- the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- hope to break into the postseason.

More: NFC East | NFC North | NFC West | AFC East | AFC North | AFC South | AFC West

  • Which team will win the NFC South?

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      4%
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      66%
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      5%
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      25%

    Discuss (Total votes: 35,899)

  • Will the Falcons reach the Super Bowl in the next three years?

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      61%
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      39%

    Discuss (Total votes: 11,589)

  • Is Matt Ryan an elite quarterback?

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      70%
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      30%

    Discuss (Total votes: 11,355)

  • Will the Saints make the playoffs this season?

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      64%
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      36%

    Discuss (Total votes: 11,340)

  • Will Cam Newton ever be an elite quarterback?

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      51%
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      49%

    Discuss (Total votes: 10,667)

  • Josh Freeman's contract is up after 2013. Is this Josh Freeman's final year as the Buccaneers' starting quarterback?

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      65%
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      35%

    Discuss (Total votes: 10,458)

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Eric Fisher, Luke Joeckel: offensive linemen, and the first two picks in the 2013 NFL draft. (In case we needed more evidence that the men up front are of paramount importance to football teams.) Now, neither finds himself on the list of top trenchmen -- yet. So until one or both make it, let's sort out the league's best. Click on the images to set your rankings!

NFL offensive linemen

Duane Brown

Duane Brown

T, Texans

Ryan Clady

Ryan Clady

T, Broncos

Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis

T, 49ers

Jahri Evans

Jahri Evans

G, Saints

Mike Iupati

Mike Iupati

G, 49ers

Matt Kalil

Matt Kalil

T, Vikings

Ryan Kalil

Ryan Kalil

C, Panthers

Jake Long

Jake Long

T, Rams

Nick Mangold

Nick Mangold

C, Jets

Logan Mankins

Logan Mankins

G, Patriots

Carl Nicks

Carl Nicks

G, Buccaneers

Russell Okung

Russell Okung

T, Seahawks

Maurkice Pouncey

Maurkice Pouncey

C, Steelers

Mike Pouncey

Mike Pouncey

C, Dolphins

Joe Staley

Joe Staley

T, 49ers

John Sullivan

John Sullivan

C, Vikings

Joe Thomas

Joe Thomas

T, Browns

Max Unger

Max Unger

C, Seahawks

Trent Williams

Trent Williams

T, Redskins

Marshal Yanda

Marshal Yanda

G, Ravens

Your Rankings

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Defense might not be winning championships these days -- the Baltimore Ravens, after all, were fairly middle-of-the-road -- but it certainly doesn't hurt; the Super Bowl runner-up San Francisco 49ers had one of the league's best defenses a season ago, as did many of the league's playoff teams. How do the contenders stack up on that side of the ball in 2013? Click on the logos below to set your rankings!

NFL Defenses

49ers

49ers

2012 YPG Rank: 3rd
2012 PPG Rank: 2nd

Bears

Bears

2012 YPG Rank: 5th
2012 PPG Rank: 3rd

Bengals

Bengals

2012 YPG Rank: 6th
2012 PPG Rank: 8th

Bills

Bills

2012 YPG Rank: 22nd
2012 PPG Rank: 26th

Broncos

Broncos

2012 YPG Rank: 2nd
2012 PPG Rank: 4th

Browns

Browns

2012 YPG Rank: 23rd
2012 PPG Rank: 19th

Buccaneers

Buccaneers

2012 YPG Rank: 29th
2012 PPG Rank: 23rd

Cardinals

Cardinals

2012 YPG Rank: 12th
2012 PPG Rank: 17th

Chargers

Chargers

2012 YPG Rank: 9th
2012 PPG Rank: 16th

Chiefs

Chiefs

2012 YPG Rank: 20th
2012 PPG Rank: 25th

Colts

Colts

2012 YPG Rank: 26th
2012 PPG Rank: 21st

Cowboys

Cowboys

2012 YPG Rank: 19th
2012 PPG Rank: 24th

Dolphins

Dolphins

2012 YPG Rank: 21st
2012 PPG Rank: 7th

Eagles

Eagles

2012 YPG Rank: 15th
2012 PPG Rank: 29th

Falcons

Falcons

2012 YPG Rank: 24th
2012 PPG Rank: 5th

Giants

Giants

2012 YPG Rank: 31st
2012 PPG Rank: 12th

Jaguars

Jaguars

2012 YPG Rank: 30th
2012 PPG Rank: 29th

Jets

Jets

2012 YPG Rank: 8th
2012 PPG Rank: 20th

Lions

Lions

2012 YPG Rank: 13th
2012 PPG Rank: 27th

Packers

Packers

2012 YPG Rank: 11th
2012 PPG Rank: 11th

Panthers

Panthers

2012 YPG Rank: 10th
2012 PPG Rank: 18th

Patriots

Patriots

2012 YPG Rank: 25th
2012 PPG Rank: 9th

Raiders

Raiders

2012 YPG Rank: 18th
2012 PPG Rank: 8th

Rams

Rams

2012 YPG Rank: 14th
2012 PPG Rank: 14th

Ravens

Ravens

2012 YPG Rank: 17th
2012 PPG Rank: 12th

Redskins

Redskins

2012 YPG Rank: 28th
2012 PPG Rank: 22nd

Saints

Saints

2012 YPG Rank: 32nd
2012 PPG Rank: 31st

Seahawks

Seahawks

2012 YPG Rank: 4th
2012 PPG Rank: 1st

Steelers

Steelers

2012 YPG Rank: 1st
2012 PPG Rank: 6th

Texans

Texans

2012 YPG Rank: 7th
2012 PPG Rank: 9th

Titans

Titans

2012 YPG Rank: 27th
2012 PPG Rank: 32nd

Vikings

Vikings

2012 YPG Rank: 16th
2012 PPG Rank: 14th

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Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning still are going strong. Joe Flacco, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan and Matthew Stafford have emerged as prolific passers. And Robert Griffin III, Colin Kaepernick, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson all are on the doorstep of elite (or very good) status. And we didn't even mention two-time Super Bowl champions Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger. Nor did we acknowledge the whole running-game thing. Our point: Offenses are pretty hot these days in the NFL. Whose is best? Click on the logos below to set your rankings!

NFL Offenses

49ers

49ers

2012 YPG Rank: 11th
2012 PPG Rank: 11th

Bears

Bears

2012 YPG Rank: 28th
2012 PPG Rank: 16th

Bengals

Bengals

2012 YPG Rank: 22nd
2012 PPG Rank: 12th

Bills

Bills

2012 YPG Rank: 19th
2012 PPG Rank: 21st

Broncos

Broncos

2012 YPG Rank: 4th
2012 PPG Rank: 2nd

Browns

Browns

2012 YPG Rank: 25th
2012 PPG Rank: 24th

Buccaneers

Buccaneers

2012 YPG Rank: 9th
2012 PPG Rank: 13th

Cardinals

Cardinals

2012 YPG Rank: 32nd
2012 PPG Rank: 31st

Chargers

Chargers

2012 YPG Rank: 31st
2012 PPG Rank: 20th

Chiefs

Chiefs

2012 YPG Rank: 24th
2012 PPG Rank: 32nd

Colts

Colts

2012 YPG Rank: 10th
2012 PPG Rank: 18th

Cowboys

Cowboys

2012 YPG Rank: 6th
2012 PPG Rank: 15th

Dolphins

Dolphins

2012 YPG Rank: 27th
2012 PPG Rank: 27th

Eagles

Eagles

2012 YPG Rank: 15th
2012 PPG Rank: 29th

Falcons

Falcons

2012 YPG Rank: 8th
2012 PPG Rank: 7th

Giants

Giants

2012 YPG Rank: 14th
2012 PPG Rank: 6th

Jaguars

Jaguars

2012 YPG Rank: 29th
2012 PPG Rank: 30th

Jets

Jets

2012 YPG Rank: 30th
2012 PPG Rank: 28th

Lions

Lions

2012 YPG Rank: 3rd
2012 PPG Rank: 17th

Packers

Packers

2012 YPG Rank: 13th
2012 PPG Rank: 5th

Panthers

Panthers

2012 YPG Rank: 12th
2012 PPG Rank: 18th

Patriots

Patriots

2012 YPG Rank: 1st
2012 PPG Rank: 1st

Raiders

Raiders

2012 YPG Rank: 18th
2012 PPG Rank: 26th

Rams

Rams

2012 YPG Rank: 23rd
2012 PPG Rank: 25th

Ravens

Ravens

2012 YPG Rank: 16th
2012 PPG Rank: 10th

Redskins

Redskins

2012 YPG Rank: 5th
2012 PPG Rank: 4th

Saints

Saints

2012 YPG Rank: 2nd
2012 PPG Rank: 3rd

Seahawks

Seahawks

2012 YPG Rank: 17th
2012 PPG Rank: 9th

Steelers

Steelers

2012 YPG Rank: 21st
2012 PPG Rank: 22nd

Texans

Texans

2012 YPG Rank: 7th
2012 PPG Rank: 8th

Titans

Titans

2012 YPG Rank: 26th
2012 PPG Rank: 23rd

Vikings

Vikings

2012 YPG Rank: 20th
2012 PPG Rank: 14th

Your Rankings

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With the Baltimore Ravens' triumph last season, John Harbaugh joined the now-seven-strong list of current Super Bowl-winning coaches -- and denied his brother that honor in the process. Where do the Harbaughs rank on the list of active coaches? And what about those seven men in charge of new teams? Click on the images below to set your rankings!

Top NFL head coaches

Dennis Allen

Dennis Allen

Oakland Raiders

Bruce Arians

Bruce Arians

Arizona Cardinals

Bill Belichick

Bill Belichick

New England Patriots

Gus Bradley

Gus Bradley

Jacksonville Jaguars

Pete Carroll

Pete Carroll

Seattle Seahawks

Rob Chudzinski

Rob Chudzinski

Cleveland Browns

Tom Coughlin

Tom Coughlin

New York Giants

Jeff Fisher

Jeff Fisher

St. Louis Rams

John Fox

John Fox

Denver Broncos

Leslie Frazier

Leslie Frazier

Minnesota Vikings

Jason Garrett

Jason Garrett

Dallas Cowboys

Jim Harbaugh

Jim Harbaugh

San Francisco 49ers

John Harbaugh

John Harbaugh

Baltimore Ravens

Chip Kelly

Chip Kelly

Philadelphia Eagles

Gary Kubiak

Gary Kubiak

Houston Texans

Marvin Lewis

Marvin Lewis

Cincinnati Bengals

Doug Marrone

Doug Marrone

Buffalo Bills

Mike McCarthy

Mike McCarthy

Green Bay Packers

Mike McCoy

Mike McCoy

San Diego Chargers

Mike Munchak

Mike Munchak

Tennessee Titans

Chuck Pagano

Chuck Pagano

Indianapolis Colts

Sean Payton

Sean Payton

Sean Payton

Joe Philbin

Joe Philbin

Miami Dolphins

Andy Reid

Andy Reid

Kansas City Chiefs

Ron Rivera

Ron Rivera

Carolina Panthers

Rex Ryan

Rex Ryan

New York Jets

Greg Schiano

Greg Schiano

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jim Schwartz

Jim Schwartz

Detroit Lions

Mike Shanahan

Mike Shanahan

Washington Redskins

Mike Smith

Mike Smith

Atlanta Falcons

Mike Tomlin

Mike Tomlin

Pittsburgh Steelers

Marc Trestman

Marc Trestman

Chicago Bears

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Last year, Luke Kuechly was NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. The season before? Von Miller. In all, nine of the past 10 winners have been linebackers, meaning the likes of Arthur Brown, Jarvis Jones and Manti Te'o must be favorites, right? Or will someone else -- maybe a certain safety in Arizona -- emerge? Rank the candidates!

Rank 'Em: MVP | QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | DLs | LBs | DBs | Offensive ROY

Rank: NFL Defensive ROY Candidates

Ezekiel Ansah

Ezekiel Ansah

DE, Lions

Arthur Brown

Arthur Brown

LB, Ravens

Matt Elam

Matt Elam

S, Ravens

Jarvis Jones

Jarvis Jones

LB, Steelers

Dion Jordan

Dion Jordan

DE, Dolphins

Star Lotulelei

Star Lotulelei

DT, Panthers

Tyrann Mathieu

Tyrann Mathieu

S, Cardinals

Dee Milliner

Dee Milliner

CB, Jets

Barkevious Mingo

Barkevious Mingo

LB, Browns

Alec Ogletree

Alec Ogletree

LB, Rams

Manti Te'o

Manti Te'o

LB, Chargers

Kenny Vaccaro

Kenny Vaccaro

S, Saints

Your Rankings

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Comment »