ESPN analyst Joe Theismann answers five key questions after Week 10 of the 2001 NFL season:

Who can stop the Rams?

	Marshall Faulk and the Rams appear to be the No. 1 Super Bowl favorite.

Probably only the Rams themselves.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick did as good a job Sunday night as anyone has trying to contain the Rams' offense. The Patriots' defense presented lots of different looks and coverages.

But that's the thing about playing the St. Louis Rams. You can play a good game defensively, but if your offense makes one or two mistakes, it gives the Rams a tremendous advantage. Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk and Co. put so much pressure on opposing offenses to not make mistakes and to convert every scoring opportunity.

If the Rams make a mistake or turn the ball over, for them it's like hitting a speed bump; it won't slow them down much, it will just make the ride briefly uncomfortable for coach Mike Martz.

But for opponents who turn the ball over and give it back to the Rams, it's more like hitting a huge pothole -- it can be tough to recover and get back on the road because the Rams are so talented. They're a virtually unstoppable force.

The multidimensional Faulk showed again versus the Patriots why he should be a candidate for MVP. Packers quarterback Brett Favre may be a sentimental choice, but he hasn't played consistently well on a week-to-week basis. Faulk, last year's MVP, and Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon continue to demonstrate that they're the guys most essential to their teams' success. You could also make a case for Jets running back Curtis Martin.

Why have the Browns handled the Ravens this year?
Ravens quarterback Elvis Grbac has not played well against the Browns -- he has made too many critical mistakes (six interceptions in the two losses). The Ravens let Trent Dilfer go because they expected Grbac to be an upgrade at quarterback, but Elvis has struggled this season.

But you also have to give credit to the much-improved Browns. If you had said to me before the season began that the Cleveland Browns would sweep the Baltimore Ravens, I would have said you were nuts.

The Bengals have also shown they can play with the Ravens, beating them 21-10 in Week 2. Yes, the Ravens are the defending Super Bowl champions, but they are not a very good football team at this stage.

The Ravens certainly have missed running back Jamal Lewis -- against the Browns and throughout the season (although rookie Jason Brookins has done a good job in his stead). But the substandard play of Grbac has been a primary reason for Baltimore's troubles.

How far will the Redskins' reversal take them?
It will depend on how well Washington does against teams in the NFC East -- that's the key question. The Redskins' next four games are all in the division: two against the Eagles (including next week in Philadelphia) and one each against the Cowboys and Cardinals.

The Washington Redskins have made a great comeback to respectability. After losing their first five games, they now stand at 4-5.

Besides their performance against division rivals, the Redskins' continued success depends on some other factors. For example, quarterback Tony Banks must play well and the team must stay injury-free.

What the Redskins have demonstrated over the last four weeks is how important Stephen Davis is to their offense. In fact, the Redskins are winning games the way coach Marty Schottenheimer won in Kansas City -- by establishing the run.

What's wrong with the Broncos?
Losing wide receiver Ed McCaffrey was a big blow to the Denver Broncos. Then his replacement, Eddie Kennison, decided that he doesn't want to play football anymore. Denver is still searching for dependable wide receivers beyond Rod Smith.

Quarterback Brian Griese hasn't played well consistently, either, and has not been 100-percent healthy. Plus, running back Terrell Davis is out again. All that adds up quickly and takes an offense out of its rhythm.

Another area that's been exposed is that opponents have been able to run the ball fairly effectively against Denver's defense. The Broncos don't force opposing offenses to become one-dimensional.

The Broncos are talented enough to beat any team in the NFL -- and they have the ability to turn their season around. Despite their 5-5 record, I give them a 75 percent chance of making the playoffs.

Should we say goodbye to the Bucs' and Colts' playoff hopes?
Not necessarily. With the wild card, a lot is possible.

While the chances of these teams winning their divisions look slim, the wild card gives them some hope. The Dolphins' loss Sunday helps the Indianapolis Colts, and Green Bay's loss helps the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Bucs appear to have lost confidence. They've squandered leads, they've given up big plays -- two huge plays against the Bears on Sunday. The problem is, Tampa Bay's offense depends on the defense to keep games close. Keyshawn Johnson has been effective (71 receptions) but hasn't scored a touchdown. The Bucs still lack a deep threat who can stretch out a defense.

The Colts are hurting with the season-ending injury to running back Edgerrin James. But if others (like rookie Dominic Rhodes) can step up, the Colts could make a run.

So many things can happen -- a team can run off five straight wins in the NFL. It's certainly happened before. The Colts and Bucs are both 4-5, so they would need to finish 5-2 in their last seven games to have a shot at the wild card (with an overall record of 9-7). A tough task, but doable.

Before signing off, I want to wish football fans everywhere (and everyone else) a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!

A game analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Football, former NFL QB Joe Theismann won a Super Bowl and a league MVP award. He reviews the NFL each week for ESPN.com in Cup o' Joe.