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Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

The Dallas Cowboys have quite a dilemma on their hands. They not only aspire to be a championship team, they expect to be treated like one before it happens.

	Tim Heitman/US Presswire
	Wade Phillips said he was "very pleased" with Dallas' victory on Sunday.

It's an attitude that's reflected by head coach Wade Phillips, a man who believes that his team is held to an impossible standard. After all, he just beat the Cincinnati Bengals by -- count 'em -- nine points.

No, Phillips doesn't get it, and his message of football tolerance permeates throughout the locker room. He can't figure out that you don't get the benefit of the doubt until you've actually accomplished something.

A week after being pushed around by the Redskins in a 26-24 home loss, the Cowboys needed to throttle the hapless Bengals. Instead, they allowed them to climb back into the game after falling behind 17-0.

This is the type of performance that would've sent Jimmy Johnson over the edge. There would've been no "a win is a win" nonsense in the postgame news conference. Jimmy would've been figuring out who to cut. Same goes for Troy Aikman, who would've been horrified with Sunday's effort.

On Sunday, Phillips stood in front of reporters and said he was "very pleased" with the win and couldn't understand all the concern. He only showed anger because local columnist Randy Galloway had the audacity to suggest that the team basically "stunk" after the first quarter. Not caring for Galloway's wording, Phillips reportedly told him, "I think you stink" as he passed him on the way to the locker room.

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Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

You'll have to wait until Tuesday for the full power rankings, but I've already made up my mind on the four teams that really matter:

1. New York Giants: That's what we in the business call a statement game. Tom Coughlin almost seems to embrace adversity, and his team reflects that mentality. Eli Manning was determined not to allow any letdown because of Plaxico Burress' absence. And, as the Beast predicted, Domenik Hixon was outstanding. The Giants are deep at receiver, and you saw great efforts from Hixon and Sinorice Moss. This is the best team in football right now.

2. Washington Redskins: This is the first time since 2005 the Redskins have beaten the Cowboys and Eagles on the road. After falling behind 14-0 early, Jim Zorn's team showed a lot of resolve. This looks like a dominant team right now. Jason Campbell is having a Pro Bowl-type season. He just doesn't make mistakes, and he's at his best late in games.

3. Dallas Cowboys: A week after losing at home to the Redskins, the Cowboys struggled to put the lowly Bengals away. Wade Phillips can justify it all he wants, but championship teams win with style. Jimmy Johnson would've been mad as hell with that effort. Phillips says a win's a win. Of course, this team will be measured by what happens in December and January.

4. Philadelphia Eagles: Donovan McNabb insists his team should've beaten the Redskins. He may have lost sight of the fact that the Redskins treated them like ragdolls for the final three quarters. The Redskins and Cowboys are about to stack several more wins over the next month. Same goes for the mighty Giants. One more loss and the Eagles will be staring at another .500 season. And why can't the Eagles call plays the whole game as they did on the first 15? When they threw away the script, the Redskins took over.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

This one was over early. The Giants didn't miss Plaxico Burress at all because his replacement, Domenik Hixon, was superb. Hixon had four catches for 102 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game with a concussion in the first half.

The Giants spent a ton of time in training camp working on the deep ball, and Hixon received a lot of those reps because Burress was recovering from an injury. New York also gashed the Seahawks with the run. Brandon Jacobs had his biggest day of the season with 136 yards and two touchdowns.

By the end of the first quarter, the Seahawks were completely one dimensional on offense. Mathias Kiwanuka and Dave Tollefson each had a sack but defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo called off the dogs before the first half ended. The Giants had 342 yards at the half.

Quarterback Eli Manning was brilliant, finishing 19-of-25 for 267 yards and two touchdowns. Tom Coughlin didn't want to talk about Burress' absence after the game, but this was obviously a statement game. Coughlin preaches that no one is bigger than the team, and there was evidence of that on the field Sunday.

Sinorice Moss took advantage of some rare playing time and scored two touchdowns in the second half. Tight end Kevin Boss told the Daily News is was like an old-fashioned high school blowout. And for one day, that was a fitting description for the Seahawks.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

If the Cowboys truly want to be considered an elite team, it's not simply about winning and losing. After taking a 17-0 lead over the Bengals, the Cowboys let them back in the game.

The Bengals were a two-point conversion away from tying it at 24 in the fourth quarter. With the win, the Cowboys moved to 4-1 on the season to keep pace with the surging Redskins. The Giants are the division's only unbeaten team at 4-0.

A week after being criticized for not running the ball in a loss to the Redskins, the Cowboys ran it 38 times against the Bengals. Rookie Felix Jones had nine carries for 96 yards, including a sensational 33-yard touchdown run.

Marion Barber did the heavy lifting with 23 carries for 84 yards. The Cowboys, though, were not in a celebratory mood. This isn't a team that's allowed to be satisfied with relatively narrow wins over bad teams. I'm told that Phillips had a run-in with a Fort Worth columnist after the game, so I'll try to track that story down for you.

Chad Ocho Cinco had threatened to kiss the Cowboys star at midfield if he scored a touchdown, but he was a non-factor for much of the day. T.J. Houshmandzadeh led the Bengals with seven catches for 85 yards and a couple of touchdowns.

Tony Romo threw for three touchdowns, but he also threw an interception in his eighth consecutive game. That's the longest streak in the league, but the most alarming part, is that it occurred when the game was still in doubt. A team like the Cowboys has to put the Bengals away. On Sunday, they weren't up to the task -- until late.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

PHILADELPHIA -- It's hard to believe there was a time when we thought the Washington Redskins were the cellar dwellers in the NFC East. It has only been a month since they opened the Jim Zorn era with a stumbling 16-7 loss, but this isn't the same team.

	Paul Spinelli/Getty Images
	Clinton Portis rushed 29 times for 145 yards and a touchdown against the Eagles.

The Redskins completed a remarkable two-week swing with a 23-17 comeback victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field to improve to 4-1. This is no longer an upset-minded team. Quite simply, this has all the makings of a playoff team.

Washington withstood a furious start by the Eagles, and then spent the final three quarters dominating every aspect of the game. Eagles coach Andy Reid was left mumbling something about putting his team in the right position, which for now is dead last in the NFC East.

A week after gashing the Cowboys for 144 rushing yards, the Redskins picked up 203 against the Eagles. Philadelphia came into the game giving up 53.8 yards per game, but Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts combined for 70 in the first half alone. Portis finished with 29 carries for 145 yards and a touchdown.

With the Redskins facing fourth-and-1 at the Eagles' 38-yard line with 2:48 left, Zorn never hesitated to call Portis' number. The running back plowed forward for three yards to seal another huge division win. And when Zorn emerged from the visiting locker room later, Portis' family members were waiting on him.

"I hope you don't think I abused your son today," Zorn said to Portis' mother. Some of you might recall that Portis was critical of Zorn's play-calling after the loss to the New York Giants, but that game's now a distant memory.

On Sunday, the Redskins couldn't have asked for a worse start. The Eagles scored on their first possession, and following a Redskins three-and-out, rookie DeSean Jackson returned a punt 68 yards to give the Eagles a 14-0 lead.

That's when Zorn made an important decision. He stuck with a game plan that included a steady dose of running plays to the left side and passes to Chris Cooley. With the Eagles taking Santana Moss out of the game, quarterback Jason Campbell stayed calm and relied on other players.

"It would've been easy to get away from the game plan and get pass happy," Campbell told me after the game. "But it was too early for that. We had a good game plan, so we just decided to stick with it."

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Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

PHILADELPHIA -- No one would've blamed the Redskins for coming out a little flat following last Sunday's emotional win over the Cowboys. In fact, that's exactly what happened when the Redskins found themselves down, 14-0, midway through the first quarter.

But instead of cratering, Washington stuck to its bread and butter -- a bruising running game with running back Clinton Portis -- and weathered the storm in a stunning 23-17 victory at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Eagles (2-3) now face an uphill climb to get back in the NFC East race. And maybe we should stop referring to Redskins (4-1) wins as "stunning." Perhaps they're simply one of the best teams in football right now.

The Redskins took their first lead in the game when they dialed up an old favorite -- the Antwaan Randle El pass. Randle El, a former college quarterback at Indiana, took an end-around to the right side, stopped in his tracks and threw back across the field to Chris Cooley for an 18-yard touchdown. It was a huge play in the game, and the Eagles couldn't respond.

Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell sealed the game with two outstanding plays late in the fourth quarter. He used his legs to buy time on a third-and-long pass to Randle El. Then he extended the drive by running for another first down.

Facing a fourth-and-2 from the Eagles' 37-yard line with just over two minutes left in the game, Jim Zorn showed how much faith he has in his offense. The Redskins called on Clinton Portis to plow straight ahead for the game-sealing first down.

It was another dominating road performance for a team that appears to be headed for the playoffs. The loss puts the Eagles in desperation mode -- something they should've been in coming into the game.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

PHILADELPHIA -- Unless something changes quickly, the Redskins are about to pull off one of the most remarkable two-game road swings in recent memory. Much like last week against the Cowboys, the Redskins are gashing the Eagles with their running game.

Clinton Portis just made it 23-14 with a 4-yard touchdown run, but the one that set it up was a 27-yard gain off left tackle. Fullback Mike Sellers absolutely destroyed safety Quintin Mikell on the play. And left tackle Chris Samuels did a superb job against defensive end Trent Cole.

The Eagles are in danger of falling out of the NFC East race -- and we're in Week 5! Just amazing. No one in this stadium thought the Redskins had a chance when they fell behind, 14-0 with eight minutes left in the first quarter. But they sort of weathered the early storm, and then took over the game in the second half. The Eagles have looked completely inept on offense following a great start.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

PHILADELPHIA -- We just did the math. After his 18-yard touchdown pass to Chris Cooley in the third quarter, Antwaan Randle El has a passer rating of 154.1. The former Indiana quarterback is 19 of 23 for 264 yards and four touchdowns during his pro career.

Eagles fans getting restless. Hearing some boos as the offense runs off the field late in the third quarter. Randle El had two touchdown passes for the Steelers and now has two for the Redskins.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- In the first half, quarterback Jason Campbell broke the Redskins' all-time record for most consecutive passes without an interception. Joe Theismann previously held the record with 161 passes in 1983.

Dating back to last season, Campbell has now gone 166 passes without an interception. The Redskins have weathered a slow start and are now driving on the Eagles at the start of the second half.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

From the told-you-so department, Giants wide receiver Domenik Hixon is having a big first half against Seattle. Hixon, who's replacing the suspended Plaxico Burress, scored the Giants' first touchdown on a 32-yard catch.

Eli Manning is 8 of 9 for 164 yards in the first half, and the Giants lead, 17-3. So much for New York missing Burress.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- So far, Brian Westbrook's gimpy ankle looks fine.

He opened the game with a 17-yard gain on a middle screen, and then had four carries for 22 yards. Westbrook scored on a 9-yard touchdown run.

I kept a close eye on him when Redskins linebacker Rocky McInstosh tackled him around the ankles on the first play. He jumped to his feet and didn't show any signs of injury. It's a huge boost for this Eagles offense to have him on the field.

And rookie DeSean Jackson puts the Eagles up, 14-0, with a 68-yard punt return.

The Redskins look shell-shocked. Jim Zorn is trying to stay with the run on the team's second possession, which is a good idea. This team can't afford any more three-and-outs right now.

Jim Johnson is bringing pressure from all over the field. Juqua Parker's getting a lot of push at defensive end, but he's also bringing middle linebacker Stewart Bradley quite a bit early.

Bradley told the NFC Beast blog Friday that Johnson had installed 26 blitz packages for this game. He was reading directly from his playbook, but unlike Redskins tight end Chris Cooley, he decided not to post it on his blog.

Posted by ESPN.coms' Matt Mosley

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Interesting story about Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress in this morning's New York Daily News. We've heard most of it before, but it's helpful to have all his transgressions in one place. As you'll see in the following quote, Burress' teammates didn't exactly rush to his defense:

"This wasn't the first time he broke the rules," one of Burress' teammates told the Daily News. "We all knew something had to be done."

According to one of his teammates, Plax is probably vacationing at his home in Fort Lauderdale.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Greetings from Lincoln Financial Field, where we're about an hour away from kickoff. It's 66 degrees with 63 percent humidity right now. We'll have a high of 73.

In other news, the Redskins will be without starting cornerback Shawn Springs (calf) and linebacker Marcus Washington (hamstring) for today's game against the Eagles. Fred Smoot and H.B. Blades will start.

For the Eagles, Brian Westbrook (ankle) will return after missing last Sunday's game against the Bears. Westbrook came out about two and a half hours before the game and appeared to be cutting pretty well. I still think Correll Buckhalter could end up carrying the load, but Westbrook's presence gives the Eagles a lift.

The Eagles are also missing Pro Bowl right guard Shawn Andrews, but we knew he was going to be out. Andrews doesn't seem to be making much progress with his back, and that's something we should keep our eye on.

Redskins defensive end Jason Taylor will miss his second consecutive game and Jon Jansen will once again start for Stephon Heyer at right tackle.

Here's the entire list of inactives: Eagles: QB A.J. Feeley (emergency), LB Joe Mays, DE Bryan Smith, G Shawn Andrews, G Mike McGlynn, WR Kevin Curtis, TE Matt Schobel, DE Victor Abiamiri Redskins: QB Colt Brennan (emergency), CB Shawn Springs, S Justin Hamilton, LB Marcus Washington, DE Jason Taylor, T Stephon Heyer, T Chad Rinehart.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

We had the good fortune to visit with Eagles middle linebacker Stewart Bradley for a few minutes Friday before he stepped into a team meeting. This is Bradley's first season as a starter, but he seems to be making the transition well. The Eagles have been excellent against the run, and the linebackers have been a major part of the success.

Bradley talked about how much respect the defense has for Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell. He said that defensive coordinator Jim Johnson has designed a game plan around trying to knock Campbell out of rhythm. He threw for 188 yards in the first half of last Sunday's 26-24 win over the Cowboys.

In an effort to pressure Campbell, the Eagles have 15 different blitz packages in their base defense and 11 more in their specialty packages. If you're keeping track at home, the Eagles are bringing 26 blitzes to this game. The normal team might not have more than five different blitz packages in their base defense. So how does Bradley remember it all?

"It was a little overwhelming at first," he said. "I think we had three or four different blitzes in college."

Bradley also talked about how important it will be to maintain the proper gaps against the Redskins, a team that loves running to the left. We call the Redskins a left-handed running team. Oops ... I'm boarding my flight to Philadelphia. I'll have more from Bradley when we land

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Mike Garafolo of the Star-Ledger is reporting that the Plaxico Burress settlement is finally official. As we've heard for a week now, Burress will lose a week's paycheck ($117,000) instead of the $235,000 he was set to lose in the two-week (one-game) suspension.

He also has the assurance that the Giants won't go after any roster-bonus money. All in all, I think Burress came out pretty well when you consider that he skipped a mandatory practice without attempting to contact his employers. Who knows what would've happened in an arbitration hearing. The Giants knew it would be a distraction, and decided to move on.

The good news for Giants fans is that Burress came back strong the last time he was reprimanded with a loss of playing time. If anyone can use a suspension as a source of inspiration, it's Tom Coughlin. He spent most of Friday coming up with T-shirt ideas.

You guys have been wonderful. Next time we talk, I'll be in Philly.