It was difficult to gauge exactly where the Dallas Cowboys
stood in the NFL's pecking order at the time of their Week 6 bye. While a 3-2
record provided the team with a decent start in its quest to return to the
postseason, those three wins (Tampa Bay, Carolina, Kansas City) came against
clubs with a combined 3-17 record at the moment, while the Cowboys had come up
short against the two quality opponents (New York Giants, Denver) on the early
schedule.
Dallas came out of its break with a purpose, and it showed in this past
Sunday's 37-21 dismantling of the formidable Atlanta Falcons that was easily
the Cowboys' most complete and impressive effort of this season.
Quarterback Tony Romo, who took plenty of heat for his performance in the
losses to the Giants and Broncos, answered his critics by shredding an Atlanta
secondary for 311 yards and three touchdowns while completing a sharp 21-of-29
throws. Emerging star Miles Austin showed his 10-catch, 250-yard breakout
against Kansas City two weeks ago was no fluke, as the young wideout racked up
171 yards and two scores on only six grabs. A defense with a reputation for
harassing enemy quarterbacks was back to its old swarming self, with its four
sacks of the Falcons' Matt Ryan being two more than the sophomore standout had
been taken to the turf through the first five weeks.
Even the special teams got into the act, with wide receiver Patrick Crayton --
fresh off losing his starting job to Austin -- putting the exclamation point
on Sunday's triumph with a 73-yard punt return touchdown midway through the
fourth quarter.
"We've got things to work on, there's no doubt about that, but we played a
good football team and played them well," said Cowboys head coach Wade
Phillips. "I was proud of our team."
The emphatic victory over the previously 4-1 Falcons also extended the
Cowboys' outstanding track record of success following a bye. Dallas is 16-5
all-time in games immediately after the week off and has won five straight
times in such situations.
QUICK HITS: Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware, who posted two sacks of Ryan in
the win, agreed to a new six-year, $78 million contract on Monday that
includes $40 million in guaranteed money. The three-time All-Pro had been
slated to enter free agency at season's end...Crayton, who also had a five-
yard touchdown catch near the end of the first half, took over on punt returns
after recently-signed veteran Allen Rossum injured his hamstring in the first
quarter...Strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh returned to action after missing the
Kansas City game with a fractured right thumb and posted seven tackles and two
passes defensed...Dallas improved to 16-3 in games in which Romo passes for
300 or more yards.
NEXT UP: Dallas will play its second straight home game when a rested Seattle
team pays a visit to the palatial new Cowboys Stadium this Sunday. The
Seahawks are 2-4 on the year and coming off a bye that ensued after a
disappointing 27-3 loss to defending NFC champion Arizona in the Emerald City.
These two foes met in the Lone Star State last season, with the Cowboys
cruising to a 34-9 win on Thanksgiving Day.
PHILADELPHIA: Although he's often the smallest guy on the field, DeSean
Jackson may not have a peer when it comes to making big plays.
The Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver showed off his explosive skills on the
national stage Monday night at Washington's FedEx Field, scoring a pair of
long touchdowns in the first half that sparked his team to a 27-17 victory
over the division-rival Redskins.
Jackson wasted little time in displaying his uncanny speed and elusiveness. On
his first touch of the game, the second-year sensation blew past the
Washington defense on an end-around for a 67-yard touchdown run to put the
Eagles ahead less than two minutes into the contest. Later on, he burned
Redskins cornerback Carlos Rogers to haul in a deep strike from quarterback
Donovan McNabb for a 57-yard score that gave Philadelphia a commanding 27-7
lead just before halftime.
The fleet-footed 22-year-old, generously listed as 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds in
the Eagles' media guide, became only the second player in team history to
score both a rushing and receiving touchdown of 50 yards or more in a single
game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Such achievements have been nothing new for Jackson, especially this season.
The flashy wideout has scored five touchdowns in Philadelphia's first six
games of 2009, all of which have been from greater than 50 yards, and he's
averaging a whopping 20.1 yards on his 21 receptions for the year. Jackson
also had an 85-yard punt return for a score in Philly's season-opening win at
Carolina and currently leads the NFC with a 14.5 yard average in that
category.
"You really can't even put it into words," said Eagles running back LeSean
McCoy when asked to describe Jackson. "A guy his size, the way he plays, the
way he runs, he is a special player. I have got to say he is probably the best
player I've played with or against in college or professionally so far."
Jackson wasn't the only Philadelphia player to make a noticeable impact in
Monday's win, which moved the 4-2 Eagles into a second-place tie with Dallas
in the NFC East standings. Linebacker Will Witherspoon, acquired by the team
from St. Louis at last week's trade deadline, intercepted a deflected pass
from the Redskins' Jason Campbell in the first quarter and scampered nine
yards for a touchdown, then sacked Campbell and forced a fumble on the ensuing
possession to set up a field goal that put his new club up by a 17-0 count.
Witherspoon was immediately inserted as the starting middle linebacker in his
Eagles' debut and will be counted on to solidify a position that's been hurt
by injuries this year. Projected regular Stewart Bradley tore his ACL in a
preseason practice, while replacement Omar Gaither suffered a Lisfranc sprain
in his left foot during last week's 13-9 loss to Oakland and is likely lost
for the season.
QUICK HITS: McNabb's touchdown connection to Jackson was the longtime
quarterback's 200th career scoring pass, and he also eclipsed 30,000 career
passing yards during the course of the game...Running back Brian Westbrook did
not return after receiving a concussion on the Eagles' second drive. He was
replaced by McCoy, who totaled 37 yards on 14 rushes and 30 more on five
catches...Jackson became only the fifth player in NFL history to have a
rushing, receiving and punt return touchdown in each of his first two seasons,
with Pittsburgh's Louis Lipps (1984-85) the last to do so...According to the
Elias Sports Bureau, Witherspoon joined Buffalo's Sam Adams (September 7, 2003
vs. New England) as the only players to register a sack and interception
return touchdown in their first game with a new team...Left guard Todd
Herremans saw his first game action of the season after missing the first five
due to a stress fracture in his foot.
NEXT UP: The Eagles will have an opportunity to claim at least a share of
first place in the NFC East when the division-leading New York Giants head to
Lincoln Financial Field this Sunday for a pivotal midseason showdown. New York
is a half-game up on Philadelphia and Dallas in the battle for the top spot
with a 5-2 record, but will be coming in on a two-game losing streak.
N.Y. GIANTS: Both the Cowboys and Eagles were able to close the gap in the
division race after the Giants' 24-17 home defeat to Arizona over the weekend.
The loss was the second in a row for New York after a 5-0 start in which the
reigning NFC East champs outscored the opposition by an average margin of 16
points.
While the defense was mostly to blame for last week's 48-27 throttling by the
still-unbeaten New Orleans Saints, the Giants' offense turned out to be the
primary culprit in the team's latest setback. New York committed a season-high
four turnovers and repeatedly failed to sustain any momentum against a
determined Cardinals' stop unit, resulting in Big Blue's lowest scoring output
to date in 2009.
An off-target and often rattled Eli Manning had his second straight subpar
showing under center, with the one-time Super Bowl MVP tossing three
interceptions and hitting on a mediocre 19-of-37 pass attempts. The former No.
1 overall pick had thrown only three picks combined over the season's first
six games.
The offense was particularly ineffective during the fateful third quarter,
generating a mere 32 total yards and one first down on four drives over that
time frame. The Cardinals outscored New York 14-0 for the period to take a
24-14 lead they would not relinquish.
"I'm really disappointed in this loss," a somber New York head coach Tom
Coughlin remarked afterward. "Give credit to the Cardinals, they're a good
football team. I think anytime you turn the ball over four times you don't
have much of a chance to win. We had far too many drives that ended three-and-
out or with an inability to create any kind of different field position. It
seemed like for an entire quarter we started at our own 20 (yard line) or
inside the 20."
The suddenly-struggling Giants now have a date with a Philadelphia squad that
dealt them a pair of late-year defeats last season, including a frustrating
23-11 loss in this past January's NFC Divisional Playoffs. New York has not
lost three straight times since a four-game slide from November 12-December 3,
2006.
QUICK HITS: Right offensive tackle Kareem McKenzie was inactive for Sunday's
tilt with a groin injury, ending a string of 52 straight starts for the
durable lineman. His absence also snapped the Giants' NFL-record streak of 38
consecutive regular-season games with the same five starting offensive
linemen, a run that began with the 2007 season opener...Wide receiver Hakeem
Nicks had a career-long 62-yard touchdown grab in the second quarter and now
has a scoring reception in four straight contests, the first Giants' rookie to
do so since Bob Gaiters in 1961...Running back Brandon Jacobs, who amassed 15
touchdowns in 2008, recorded only his second of the season with a four-yard
run in the second quarter...New York led 14-10 at halftime and lost for the
first time when up at intermission since a 38-35 decision against New England
on December 29, 2007. The Giants had won their last 15 games when carrying a
halftime advantage.
NEXT UP: The Giants will put both an undefeated mark in division play and a
four-game regular-season win streak at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field
on the line when they take on the Eagles in one of this upcoming weekend's
biggest matchups. New York, which owns victories over both Washington and
Dallas this season, was a 36-31 victor in the City of Brotherly Love last year
and hasn't lost at the Linc since a 31-17 verdict during Week 1 of the 2004
season.
WASHINGTON: While their beleaguered head coach will still be manning the
sidelines when the Washington Redskins return from their impending bye week,
two of the team's most important offensive contributors may have played their
final game of what's been a turbulent season.
Tight end Chris Cooley fractured his right ankle during the second quarter of
Monday's 27-17 loss to Philadelphia and is expected to be sidelined at least a
month, with a possibility that the injury could be season-ending. The two-time
Pro Bowl performer had been leading the Redskins with 29 receptions this
season and delivered an outstanding 2008 campaign for the club, establishing
career-bests with 83 catches and 849 receiving yards.
Cooley's absence will rob Washington of one of the few reliable contributors
for an offense that has been one of the NFL's lowest-scoring units, and head
coach Jim Zorn remarked during his Tuesday press conference that the free-
spirited 27-year-old's presence in the huddle will be awfully hard to replace
as well.
"He is such a good player for us all over the field," Zorn stated. "He is good
for our football team. "He just wants to be around and he is going to want to
be involved in what he can. But the loss of him on the field and his fight
that he brings to the field -- its going to be a big loss."
The news is even worse in regards to bookend left tackle Chris Samuels, who's
dealing with a serious neck injury that could potentially put his long-term
well being in jeopardy. The 32-year-old and six-time Pro Bowl honoree has not
played in the Redskins' last two games, and the Washington Post reported last
week that Samuels has told those within the organization that he intends to
retire at the conclusion of the season.
According to the newspaper, doctors have informed Samuels he risks possible
paralysis if he attempts to play again.
One member of the team who will still be around -- at least for the time being
-- is Zorn, albeit in an ever-shrinking role. Team vice president of football
operations Vinny Cerrato publicly announced on Friday that the second-year
coach will remain in his present position for the remainder of this season,
which temporarily extinguished the rampant rumors that Zorn, whose team has
now lost 11 of its past 15 games dating back to last season, would be let go
during the Week 8 bye.
Monday's loss marked the first game of the well-publicized shifting of
offensive play-calling duties from Zorn to 67-year-old consultant Sherman
Lewis. The change had a minimal effect against the Eagles, with the Redskins
managing a pedestrian 308 total yards and only 62 on the ground.
QUICK HITS: Second-year man Fred Davis took over for Cooley and recorded
career-highs of eight catches and 78 yards, while also scoring his first NFL
touchdown with a one-yard reception in the game's closing minutes...Including
the playoffs, Cooley has played in all 90 of Washington's games since being
taken in the third round of the 2004 draft...The Redskins signed veteran
offensive tackle Levi Jones last Tuesday as a possible fill-in for Samuels.
The 30-year-old Jones had started 89 games over seven seasons with Cincinnati
before being let go in the spring.
NEXT UP: The embattled Redskins will likely be looking forward to their
upcoming hiatus before beginning a tough month-long stretch with a road clash
with Atlanta on November 8. Each of Washington's next five opponents currently
sport records of 4-2 or better, including future encounters with a pair of
unbeaten teams in Denver and New Orleans.
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