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Team of the year

I'm still not sure they will steam-roll their way through the playoffs but you have to credit a club that has found the will to win so many close games. Peyton Manning is clearly the star in Indianapolis but the cast list of others who have made game-winning plays is long... receivers Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie, running back Joseph Addai, tight end Dallas Clark, linebackers Clint Session and Gary Brackett, defensive ends Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney. And there are many more.

This is the consummate team and winning has become a habit for them. With Manning under center, they are never out of a game, no matter how far behind they fall and they have genuine Super Bowl class. They will be pushed hard in the post-season but have to be considered favourites to reach Super Bowl 44 in Miami.

Surprise Team of the Year - Cincinnati Bengals

Even with Carson Palmer returning from injury in 2009, I have to admit I did not see this turnaround coming. And it's not just the fact the Bengals are winning games that has surprised me - it is the manner in which they are doing it that has caught the attention of the rest of the league.

The Bengals used to be an air-it-out, pass-first team but they have morphed into versions of their AFC North rivals Baltimore and Pittsburgh. The Bengals showed against San Diego they can still throw when they need to, but they are primarily a team built on a strong offensive line, an efficient running game and a physical defence. They have endured some emotional lows along the way - the deaths of wide receiver Chris Henry and defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer's wife, Vikki - but they have stuck together and deserve to be in the playoffs.

Most Disappointing Team of the Year

The New York Giants. I had these guys down as my preseason Super Bowl champions, to beat the Chargers in Miami in February. They have looked anything but super for large portions of the year. Eli Manning has struggled with a foot injury but battled away gamely but Brandon Jacobs has not delivered at running back and the offensive line has been a shadow of its former self.

Defensively, the Giants have been among the worst in the NFL and have shown major deficiencies in rushing the passer, covering receivers and tackling. Apart from that, the unit was pretty good! It's not that the Giants are terrible (apart from last weekend against Carolina), they're not - I just expected so much more from them this season.

Most Valuable Player

Due to his almost cold, ruthless passing efficiency and ability to drag the Indianapolis Colts to victories in close games, I have to give the nod to Peyton Manning. But special mention should be made for Tennessee running back Chris Johnson - he has been truly spectacular this term and you'll hear no complaints from me if he wins this gong. Maybe the compromise will be Johnson getting named Offensive MVP. Honourable mention should also go to San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers.

Rookie of the Year

I'm splitting this into offence and defence. Minnesota receiver and return man Percy Harvin gets the offensive rookie of the year nod for his explosiveness and toughness. He has already earned Brett Favre's trust and looks set to be an exciting player to track in the next decade. Houston linebacker Brian Cushing gets the nod on defence. He has been consistently good, has posted more than 120 tackles and has already established himself as one of the best defenders on a growing unit that includes Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans. Other defensive mentions include Clay Matthews, Brian Orakpo and Jairus Byrd.

Comeback Player of the Year

Cedric Benson has been revitalised at running back for the Cincinnati Bengals, Ricky Williams produced a 1,000-yard rushing campaign for the first time since 2003 with the Miami Dolphins and Favre technically enjoyed a magical comeback with the Vikings after coming out of retirement for the second year in a row. But all three of those guys never really went away. Tom Brady gets an honourable mention just for overcoming the terrible knee injury that threatened his career, but Vince Young, of the Tennessee Titans, gets my vote.

This was a young man depressed at a career threatening to disappear down the toilet and someone who started the year on the bench pondering how he was going to get back in the game. The Titans then opened the year in miserable fashion and owner Bud Adams called for the young back-up. And Young played brilliantly at times. He appears to have grown up on and off the field and suddenly has a much brighter future to consider. There are still some growing pains to fight through, but Young appears a much more solid bet under center these days.

Coach of the Year

This could easily have been a three-way tie between Jim Caldwell, Norv Turner and Sean Payton. Turner is constantly under pressure to perform in San Diego and after a slow start, he got his Chargers rolling and has turned them into one of the danger teams heading into the playoffs. Payton has worked wonders with the Saints, finally finding some defensive punch to go alongside their offensive firepower. But it is hard to ignore the regular season achievements of the Colts and they have not missed a beat with Caldwell taking over from the retired Tony Dungy.

There will be some who say Caldwell inherited Dungy's team but I don't think that is entirely the case - he has no Marvin Harrison at wide receiver and has added his own pieces to the puzzle, getting the best out of Garcon and Collie, starting a pair of rookie cornerbacks for a large part of the season and adding running back depth in rookie Donald Brown. So he has stamped his own mark on the Colts and they have responded beautifully.

Game of the Year

The Colts and Patriots served up an absolute classic in Week 10. I watched the game from my Green Bay hotel room having earlier called the Packers-Cowboys clash at Lambeau Field. Brady was masterful in leading the Patriots to a 17-point lead early in the fourth quarter.

And I have to admit I switched the television off, finally giving in to the jet-lag. I should have known better with Manning on the other sideline. He was equally impressive down the stretch and led the Colts to a 35-34 victory, with the game-winning points coming after New England head coach Bill Belichick controversially went for it - and failed - on fourth-and-two at his own 28-yard line. It was a game that had it all.

Touchdown of the Year

There have been some spectacular long plays in the NFL this season and some big scores that have meant a great deal in terms of the playoff race. But I am going for a rather routine throw into the end zone that decided a relatively meaningless game between two teams who never got anywhere near the race for post-season places. And the reason is because it featured some of the gutsiest bravery I have ever seen since covering the NFL.

With just seconds remaining against the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions rookie quarterback Matt Stafford took the kind of bruising hit that can end a season. He was slammed to the ground and separated his shoulder. As a distraught Stafford was being treated on a stretcher on the Detroit sideline, the officials announced that there was a pass interference penalty in the end zone. Even though time had run out, the Lions would get one more play from the one-yard line. After hearing that, Stafford got up, ran away from the doctors trying to hold him down and told head coach Jim Schwartz he had one more throw in him. With his useless left arm dangling, Stafford trotted back onto the field, somehow mustered the will to take the snap and fired a game-winning bullet into the end zone to tight end Brandon Pettigrew.

Cue the wild celebrations and a rather green-looking Stafford headed back to the bench to get his shoulder popped back in. It was the stuff of legend, albeit in what would otherwise have been a rather low key game.

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Well, that's my final offering for the noughties. But there is much more NFL action on the horizon and we have the division decider between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles on ´óÏó´«Ã½ 5 live sports extra on Sunday. And after that, we will bring you live commentary from the United States all through the post-season.

Until next week, Happy New Year!