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If you're in a fantasy football league and still playing next week, it sounds as though you're okay to start LeSean McCoy and Michael Vick. Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid said he will play his starters -- and play them the whole game -- in Sunday's season finale against the Washington Redskins, according to the Philadelphia Daily News:

"If you're preparing to play, you got to prepare to play four quarters," Reid said.

McCoy suffered a sprained ankle in Saturday's loss to the Cowboys, and Vick is always an injury risk. With the Eagles having been eliminated from playoff contention, there had been some thought that the Eagles' star offensive players might get Week 17 off. But Reid, who likes the momentum his team has right now and likely sees some value in trying to make the 2011 line on his resume read 8-8 instead of 7-9, says otherwise.

McCoy has been one of the best running backs in the league this season. He has 1,309 rushing yards, which is 128 behind league leader Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jaguars. He's also 203 yards shy of Wilbert Montgomery's team record for rushing yards in a single season, set in 1979. After Sunday's game, McCoy joked that Montgomery was "probably smiling," since McCoy's 35-yard performance likely left that record unattainable this season.

Incidentally, while I understand the long-term risks of playing McCoy and Vick in this game and I understand that the Vikings' Adrian Peterson tore his ACL in a "meaningless" game Saturday, I think Reid's making the right call here. But I'm old-fashioned, and I still think that as long as people are paying for the tickets, both teams should be trying as hard as they can to win the game.

As you get ready for this afternoon's home game against the Minnesota Vikings, here's one reason for Washington Redskins fans to feel good and one reason for concern.

Feeling good: If there's one team in the league that seems uniquely unable to take advantage of Rex Grossman's biggest flaw, it is the Vikings, who have gone nine straight games without intercepting a pass. Grossman has a streak of 10 games in a row with at least one interception, so something's got to give there. Minnesota can rush the quarterback fine, but its weaknesses in the secondary are stunning. So if the Redskins' offensive line can keep Jared Allen and the Minnesota pass rush off of Grossman, he could have a big passing day.

Cause for concern: Adrian Peterson. The best thing the Vikings have going for them on either side of the ball is the best running back in the league. He's been limited by injuries in the second half of this season, and he looked rusty last week, but as long as he's healthy he's a problem for any team that struggles -- as the Redskins have for much of this season -- to stop the run. If Peterson allows the Vikings to control the game on offense, that could be the best way for the Vikings to keep the Redskins' offense off the field where they can't hurt them.

The final results of fan balloting for the 2012 Pro Bowl are in, and with a late charge Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy finished first among NFC running backs. Last week, McCoy was running second at that spot behind Minnesota's Adrian Peterson, but he ended up with 962,824 votes to Peterson's 925,554. McCoy's vote total is the highest of any running back in the league and the sixth-highest of any player in the league, behind quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Drew Brees and wide receivers Calvin Johnson and Wes Welker.

Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware finished first in the voting at his position as well -- the only NFC East player other than McCoy to do so. The fan voting accounts for one-third of the final Pro Bowl voting, with votes from players and coaches yet to be counted. The Pro Bowl rosters will be announced Dec. 27.

McCoy's strong finish also gives me a good reason to point out to you this week's Hot Button debate topic, which asks which non-quarterback has had the best offensive season in 2011. Ashley Fox argues for McCoy, who's been a consistent bright spot in a disappointing season for the Eagles. John Clayton argues for Calvin Johnson, who's been a dominant wide receiver for Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions. You can also vote there for Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham or the ever-popular "other."

Yeah, I know the game's not over yet. And I want to see DeMarco Murray as much as the next guy does. But I'm in New Jersey and I'm not sure how much longer the power will stay on. So I thought it made some sense to get something down now, rather than later, about the Dallas Cowboys' preseason game Saturday night in Minnesota.

First off, everybody's going to want to talk about the defense, which gave up 216 yards to Adrian Peterson, Donovan McNabb and the Vikings in the first half. Peterson looked unstoppable, which he often does against many teams. The Vikings' offensive line beat up the Dallas defensive line in the run game, and Peterson cashed in for 69 yards on 11 carries. Safeties Gerald Sensabaugh and Abram Elam got burned on a long touchdown pass to Bernard Berrian, and it's very easy to come out of that first half saying the Dallas defense looks like more of the same from last season, when only the Broncos gave up more points.

But I'm not sure Cowboys fans should be so quick to get so down about this, and for a number of reasons.

First, and most importantly, it's only preseason. I'm constantly preaching here that you can't make sweeping predictions or evaluations about team performance in preseason, because you don't know what you're watching. Some teams game plan, others don't, and sometimes plays get called for the express purpose of identifying how a certain player will do in a certain matchup. To say the Cowboys' defense is in trouble because it gave up a bunch of yards in the first half Saturday night is a classic overreaction.

Secondly, the Cowboys did do some good individual things. Cornerback Orlando Scandrick had a couple of nice pass breakups in big spots against Berrian. Jason Hatcher got his hand on a McNabb pass and Sensabaugh made a nice diving interception before the ball hit the ground. I thought Anthony Spencer was very active and busy around the ball, whether it was pressuring McNabb (he sacked him once) or making a play or a tackle in coverage. Overall, the tackling (which was a major issue for the Cowboys last season) was fine. Peterson had a couple of chances to break long gainers and didn't. So while the Cowboys didn't do a good job containing him at the point of attack, they did manage to keep him from destroying them.

Finally, the Cowboys are not at full strength on defense. They're still missing starting cornerbacks Mike Jenkins and Terence Newman, and starting defensive end Marcus Spears. And those who are playing have had only a month's worth of practices in new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's system. It's perfectly understandable if frustration from last season's defensive performance leaks into this season. But it's unfair to assume based on preseason games that it won't be better. It's a work in progress, getting healthier and more comfortable. And considering how strong the Cowboys' offense should be, remember: The defense doesn't have to be one of the best in the league to make the team a contender. It only has to improve from the back of the pack to somewhere near the middle.

As for that offense, there were quite a number of highlights, which I'll hit on as I mention some other things I saw:

1. Tony Romo looks great. He was pressured early up the middle (remember, Dallas started a third-string center) but held up fine and threw with impeccable accuracy and confidence all night. He was 15-for-20 for 141 yards in the first half, and even some of his misses were well thrown. The near-touchdown on which Kevin Ogletree couldn't get his second foot in bounds was a perfect throw. The throw just out of Dez Bryant's reach at the goal line shortly before Felix Jones' touchdown run was in a place where Bryant was the only one who would have even had a chance to catch it. Romo's accuracy is his greatest strength, and it was on display Saturday.

2. Bryant is a physical beast. He can overpower defensive backs to make a catch. When he makes a catch, he's hard to bring down. He's 6-foot-2, 225 pounds with great hands and great instincts. Once defenses have Miles Austin to worry about as well as Bryant, Romo is only going to look better.

3. Felix Jones continues to impress. But while Jerry Jones is out there saying Tashard Choice needs to play better on special teams to make the roster, Choice looked good on a couple of runs while spelling Felix. Murray was also set to play at some point Saturday (and I'll update with stuff on him if the storm allows), and as great as Jones has been this preseason, it's good for the Cowboys to see what their other options are for giving him a break and helping to keep him healthy.

4. Jesse Holley is working hard to make the team. Made a couple of very nice third-down catches, missed a tackle on a kick return ... mixed bag kind of a first half for Holley, but if Romo's comfortable throwing to him and he's making the catches when he does, that's got to help his case.

5. The offensive line got better as the game went along. As mentioned, there were some issues early with the Vikings getting pressure up the middle. Rookie Bill Nagy still looks like he needs to add strength, and Tyron Smith looked as though he was struggling with his footwork again on the first offensive series. But things tightened up as the first half moved along, and the Cowboys were able to keep Romo clean and allow him to make his plays. On the sack, left tackle Doug Free got beaten by Jared Allen, who forced Romo up in the pocket where Christian Ballard got off a Nagy block to bring Romo down. I wonder if Nagy is supposed to hold that block longer, or if I'm watching the rookie too closely.

6. Shayne Graham should be the kicker. Dan Bailey and Graham each hit mid-range field goals (37 and 38 yards, respectively) at this writing, but given Graham's track record I have to think he gets the job as long as he doesn't miss kicks in the preseason. He didn't look great on kickoffs, but the new rules make that less important this season.

Again, more later if I'm still online. But that's what I have for now.

Tom Brady or Peyton Manning? It's the debate of the moment in today's NFL. Which superstar quarterback is the best? Who, between that pair of excellent, future Hall of Fame signal-callers, would you pick if you had the choice? That's not the question that was asked of our Power Rankings panel this week, but it turned out to be the one we answered.

Yes, after weeks upon weeks of power-ranking everything we could think of in the NFL, we've decided to throw all qualifiers and designations out the window and make it very simple: Who are the best players in the league?

As was the case when our panel was asked to rank the league's top quarterbacks, Brady beat out Manning for the top spot in this week's power rankings. Six of the eight NFL bloggers polled ranked Brady No. 1 overall, and the two who didn't -- Mike Sando and Paul Kuharsky -- ranked him second behind Manning. The top four players in our rankings and seven of the top 10 (of the top 11, technically, since Michael Vick and Andre Johnson tied for the No. 10 spot) all play the same position -- quarterback -- which says a lot about the way we value that position.

"Quarterback is the most significant position on the field and can make the difference between a lopsided losing record and the playoffs," said AFC East blogger Tim Graham, whose ballot had quarterbacks in each of the first seven spots and eight of 10 overall. "It takes a truly special running back or defensive player to outweigh the importance of a quarterback. For example, Adrian Peterson is a sensational player. But without Brett Favre producing at quarterback, Peterson couldn't carry the Vikings to the playoffs."

So the question then became which quarterback was the best. The debate these days seems to be squarely between Manning and Brady, though two of our eight bloggers did rank Manning third on this week's list. We'll get to them in a minute. We'll start with the majority opinion -- that Brady is the best player in the league right now.


I was one of the six who ranked Brady in the top spot, and the main reason was that I think Brady has attained a level of excellence in New England that's beyond what Manning has been able to attain in Indianapolis. Brady's accomplishments in 2007, when he combined with Randy Moss to set all kinds of offensive records and went undefeated until losing the Super Bowl to the Giants, were all-time legendary. But what people may not realize (perhaps because of the ludicrous level at which Brady excelled that year) is that the past two seasons have been the second-best and third-best statistical seasons of Brady's career. If Brady hadn't hurt his knee in the first game of the 2008 season and missed the rest of that year, it's very possible he would be on the kind of run right now that would make a Brady-Manning debate seem silly.

After the Patriots traded Randy Moss in the middle of 2010, the question was whether they were giving up on the season. What they were doing instead was committing to a midseason overhaul of the offense that wouldn't have been possible without the confidence they had in Brady to manage it. All Brady did was muster the second-best completion percentage and second-highest touchdown-pass total of his career while throwing just four interceptions and winning at least 14 games for the fourth time.

Not everybody agreed, however.

"Manning is simply asked to do more than any player in the league is asked to do," Kuharsky said. "He's superb at it. I love Brady. But Manning can do more, is asked to do more, and has to do more. Jim Caldwell is an OK coach so far. Bill Belichick is an all-time great. The guy making up the gap in order to have the Colts stay in range of the Patriots is Manning."

But the Colts really weren't in range of the Patriots this year, and for that reason Manning's star has dimmed in the eyes of a couple of our panelists. NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert ranked Aaron Rodgers No. 2 and Manning No. 3. And NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas ranked Saints quarterback Drew Brees in that No. 2 spot ahead of Manning.

"I'm not trying to diminish Peyton in any way. He's going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. But, if you look at his numbers and Brees' numbers over the last three or four years, they're similar and, in some ways, Brees' numbers are better," Yasinskas said. "Brees and Manning each have won one Super Bowl title. My argument is that, right now, Brees is even more valuable to the Saints than Manning is to the Colts. Times change and circumstances change. But right now I think Brees is the perfect quarterback for the Saints and is in the perfect situation with their offensive system and coaching staff. In fact, I considered voting for Brees No. 1 overall, but couldn't quite bring myself to rank him ahead of Tom Brady."

Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, who came in first in the defensive player power rankings, ranked fifth on the overall list. AFC North blogger James Walker ranked Polamalu fourth, and Seifert ranked him fifth. Walker's ballot was the most generous overall to defensive players, as he ranked Polamalu fourth, Cowboys pass rusher DeMarcus Ware fifth, Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis eighth and 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis ninth.

Walker and Kuharsky (who ranked him 10th) were the only ones who ranked Ware at all, and Kuharsky seemed a little chapped about it.

"If we rate these quarterbacks so highly, how can we not rate the guy we said was tops at disrupting quarterbacks highly too," Paul asked. "Makes no sense. I had him too low at 10. For six of you guys to leave him off entirely dents your collective credibility. Next I imagine you'll say the E Street Band isn't the all-time best backing band."

Paul is grouchy.

"I value pass-rushers, and no player has more sacks the past two seasons than DeMarcus Ware (26.5)," Walker said. "Getting to the quarterback is the best way to combat the league's increasing number of pass-happy offenses, and no one does it better right now than Ware."

The highest-ranked offensive player who wasn't a quarterback was Peterson, who came in sixth after being named on five of eight ballots. Sando, Walker and AFC West blogger Bill Williamson left the Minnesota running back off their ballots -- the third time in three tries that Williamson has ranked Peterson lower than most of the rest of us did.

"This is a quarterback league and that's how I built my top 10," Williamson explained. "There were only three non-quarterbacks on my top 10. After I constructed the quarterback rankings, I went to the best available non-quarterbacks, and the list was quite short. But to reiterate, this is the top 10. The best of the best. I think Peterson is probably a top-15 guy and that’s pretty good in a league of 1,800-plus professionals."

Pretty good indeed. But as Bill said, it's a quarterback league. And for that reason, the debate about the best player in the league came down, once again, to Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady.

Wow. Good morning everybody. Sorry if I'm a little out of it today. I was waiting up all night in the comments from Monday's Snee post for teamdirtstar to get back to me on that Eagles draft thing. Still waiting, but at least now, while I wait, I can link ...

Dallas Cowboys

In a radio interview, DeMarco Murray said he's looking forward to helping return kicks. He also spoke about his time at Oklahoma playing behind Adrian Peterson and said he's trying to put on 5 to 8 pounds. I have some tips for him on that last one if he wants.

Roy Williams believes the lockout has been a good thing, in a way, for veteran players, because it's given some of them critical time to heal from injuries. But he fears it's costing the Cowboys the time they need "to jell as a team."

New York Giants

If people keep raving about this Tiki Barber interview on HBO tonight, I may actually end up watching it. Nah, just kidding. But for those of you who still consider Tiki worth your time, Peter King says he might end up in Pittsburgh.

Steve Smith posted a video on his Facebook page. Not a lot of scintillating new information or anything, but if you're a Steve Smith fan and you want to watch and listen to him for about three minutes on a couple of different topics, here you go.

Philadelphia Eagles

Todd Herremans, like teammate DeSean Jackson, is working to help kids deal with bullying.

And at the other end of the use-of-lockout-idle-time spectrum, Akeem Jordan has been arrested and charged with assault in Virginia.

Washington Redskins

This was a worthwhile look at five Redskins who could come up with breakout performances in 2011, and unless Washington gets a CB in free agency, sure, Kevin Barnes will have an opportunity. But as Redskins.com continues to insist that the current NFL climate doesn't prohibit rookie receivers like Leonard Hankerson from making an impact without an adjustment period, I continue to counter with the dismal presumption that the Redskins' QB situation probably will.

Speaking of that QB situation, John Beck recently told The Washington Post there was no bad blood between him and Rex Grossman even though each has been vocal about his desire to win the starting QB job in Washington.

Don't forget ... it's chat day. Noon ET. Don't miss it.

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis, the final NFC West man standing in the race to grace the "Madden 12" cover, fell from consideration after Michael Vick rolled to a 61-39 percentage victory over him in the latest balloting.

While Vick won comfortably, Willis commanded a higher percentage than Drew Brees, who suffered a 62-38 percentage defeat to Adrian Peterson in the other quarterfinal.

The Vick-Peterson winner faces the Aaron Rodgers-Peyton Hillis winner for the right to suffer a significant injury in 2010, or something like that.

A consolation prize for Willis: high praise from Ray Lewis.

Well, at least Michael Vick doesn't have to worry about any Vikings asking for his autograph after this game. Here are some thoughts following a 24-14 loss and a lackluster performance by the Philadelphia Eagles:

What it means: The Eagles didn't look all that interested in playing this game. After a 48-hour delay because of a snowstorm, it was the Vikings who acted as if they had something meaningful on the line. A rookie quarterback named Joe Webb came out and showed a great deal of poise and ability in sticking it to the Eagles' defense. Philadelphia (10-5) had an opportunity to stay in contention for a No. 2 seed in the playoffs, but now they won't have a playoff bye. There were conspiracy theories that the Eagles wanted to wait for the snow to clear because they thought a slow field would help the Vikings. But in a rare Tuesday night game, the Vikings ran circles around Vick and his dynamic wide receiver DeSean Jackson. It was remarkable to watch the Vikings cornerbacks simply bully Jackson (two catches, 32 yards) at the line of scrimmage and then lock him down when he tried to go deep. The Eagles are still a dangerous team, but Vikings interim coach Leslie Frazier showed just how vulnerable this team is to the blitz.

What happened to Vick? I think it's safe to say that Tom Brady now has the MVP in hand. Coming off a brilliant comeback against the Giants, Vick was running for his life against the Vikings. They came at him in waves, and when he escaped the first blitzer, he usually encountered a huge defensive tackle. I zeroed in on Eagles Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters in the second half. He didn't have a chance against defensive end Jared Allen and he could've been called for holding several times. But it was Vick who made the key mistake in the game. With the Eagles attempting to add to a 7-0 lead just before the half, Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield blitzed off the corner and poked the ball away from Vick. He scooped it up and returned it for a touchdown to tie the score. Vick was 25-of-43 for 263 yards and one touchdown, an interception and two fumbles lost. The Vikings did a brilliant job of surrounding him throughout the game. Vick ran for 63 yards and a touchdown, but he was limping around the field in the fourth quarter. Frazier knows Andy Reid as well as anyone because he coached for the Eagles. You could see the influence of the late Jim Johnson with several of those blitz calls. And Frazier may have earned himself the full-time gig in Minnesota with the way his team performed.

Broken record alert: Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg are so enamored with the passing game that they go long stretches without feeding the ball to running back LeSean McCoy. The Vikings didn't have to respect the play-action game when they know McCoy is rarely going to touch the ball in the running game. He was probably the Eagles' best option in this game, but he only touched the ball 17 times.

Gashed by the run: The Eagles had held teams to an average of 89.1 rushing yards per game, but the great Adrian Peterson had 22 carries for 118 yards and a touchdown. And on the game-clinching drive, Peterson toyed with the Eagles' defense. When rookie safety Kurt Coleman took the wrong angle toward Peterson on a counter play, the running back exploded outside for a big gain. Then he bulled his way into the end zone.

What a tangled Webb: You'd think the Eagles would be used to mobile quarterbacks after seeing Vick in practice, but Webb baffled defenders with his legs. On a touchdown run in the second half, he froze defensive end Juqua Parker with a nice move and then he made linebacker Moise Fokou look silly before waltzing into the end zone.

What's next? Andy Reid will have the opportunity to rest Vick and some of his other starters against the Dallas Cowboys, but I think he'll try to play them for at least a half. I heard one broadcaster suggest late in this game that the loss to the Vikings could be a good thing for the Eagles because it would open the door to Reid resting some of his players. But I assure you Reid would rather not have that "luxury." The Giants were actually rooting for the Eagles to win this game because it meant the Bears might try harder to beat the Packers next Sunday. I received the following text from Giants defensive tackle Barry Cofield in the fourth quarter: "It looks like Philly is gonna [hurt us] even when we aren't playing them."

Maybe Eagles fans can find something positive out of Tuesday's game, but I'm at a loss right now.

Are you ready for some Tuesday night football? For the first time in 64 years, the NFL will hold a game on a Tuesday. The Minnesota Vikings have been hanging out in Philadelphia since Saturday, and they'll likely be starting rookie quarterback Joe Webb unless Brett Favre has a little more drama up his sleeve. Here are five thoughts on tonight's battle between the Philadelphia Eagles and Vikings:

1. Which team does the 48-hour delay help more? I've enjoyed all the rhetoric coming out of the Pennsylvania governor's office. Gov. Ed Rendell, an unabashed Eagles fan who appears on Eagles postgame shows, thinks the postponement was un-American and that China wouldn't have considered delaying a game because of a little blizzard. But Rendell should actually be pleased that the Eagles will play on a relatively dry field tonight. The Eagles may have the fastest offense in the league, so the snow could have neutralized that advantage over the Vikings. I know Philadelphia will have to play the Dallas Cowboys on short rest on Sunday, but I don't think it'll be intimidated by the prospect of facing young Stephen McGee at the Linc. In the big picture, perhaps it will hurt the Eagles that they could end up playing three games in a 12-day span, but it won't be an issue against a Vikings team led by a rookie quarterback. Even the great Adrian Peterson can't bail this team out at this point.

2. The Eagles must shut down the Vikings' running game early. The delay may have allowed Peterson (knee, ankle) to be able to play. His backup is Toby Gerhart, a powerful inside runner who's not really a home-run threat. The Eagles have been excellent against the run since defensive tackle Antonio Dixon took over as the starter in Week 5. The Eagles allow only 89.1 rushing yards per game. If Philadelphia can keep Peterson and Gerhart down early, it will put a lot of pressure on Webb. Peterson has had only one 100-yard rushing day in his past seven outings, so it's hard to imagine him going off Tuesday night.

3. Andy Reid may want to consider a few handoffs early in the game. The Eagles will invariably try to go up top with a deep ball to DeSean Jackson or Jeremy Maclin early in this game. Every team in the league should know what's coming on that first possession, but most of them can't do anything about it. Vikings interim coach Leslie Frazier has a ton of respect for Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. He'll try to emulate what the Bears did against the Vikings, but I don't think he has the personnel to get it done. The Vikings have an All-Pro defensive end in Jared Allen, but I think the Eagles could actually run the ball at him. If LeSean McCoy can rip off a couple of nice runs early in this game, it will make Michael Vick even more effective in the play-action game. The Vikings will do everything they can to make him roll right, but that's easier said than done.

4. The Eagles will be vulnerable to big plays by the Vikings' tight ends. The Vikings have an excellent tight end in Visanthe Shiancoe. I believe Minnesota will try to get Shiancoe matched up on Eagles rookie middle linebacker Jamar Chaney. The rookie played really well against the Giants last week (16 tackles), but Shiancoe is a tough cover down the seam. The Vikings are at their best when they can get their big targets (Shiancoe and Sidney Rice) the ball in the middle of the field. The Eagles must make sure they tackle in the secondary in this game. Cornerback Dimitri Patterson had an awful game against the Giants, so look for the Vikings to take some shots to his side.

5. The Eagles must win this game in the first 10 minutes. Philadelphia has been prolific in the first quarter this season. Reid and Mornhinweg do a tremendous job scripting those first 15 plays, and we've seen teams (Redskins, Cowboys) get overwhelmed against them from the opening snap. If the Eagles can grab a comfortable lead in the first quarter, it will put the Vikings in a really bad spot. The best-case scenario for Reid is if Vick and several other starters are hanging out on the sideline midway through the third quarter. The Eagles have the firepower to cause that scenario. If that happens, this whole 48-hour delay can sort of be mitigated.

And for those of us who watched that Yanks-Giants game 64 years ago, we know how exciting Tuesday night football can be. Enjoy the show. And the Beast will be available for postgame comments.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 15

The Giants feel really good about their game plan for Michael Vick. A lot of teams fear Vick, but the Giants seem to relish the opportunity to play against him. Vick didn't account for a passing touchdown the last time they played, and the Giants battered him and caused him to fumble twice, losing one. Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell learned from that experience and he's added some new wrinkles to his approach. Look for safety Deon Grant to play a large role in Fewell's blitz packages. The Giants have the ability to generate pressure without the blitz, but Fewell will bring a safety or a cornerback at times. The Giants have been excellent against the run (see Adrian Peterson), so I think LeSean McCoy will have most of his success in the passing game. He has 70 receptions and the Eagles love the screen game.

Will the Cowboys be able to slow down Rex Grossman? The stunning news came down Friday morning that a healthy Donovan McNabb would once again be benched. The Cowboys have prepared for McNabb, but I don't think the prospect of facing Grossman is all that intimidating. At this point, it almost seems like the Shanahans get a kick out of shaking things up. I believe that Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has always been more comfortable with Grossman than McNabb. There have been reports that Kyle wanted to make this move about 13 weeks ago. Now his father will finally give him the chance. So much for that lucrative contract extension for McNabb. At this rate, it's hard to imagine his starting for the Redskins again. And while the Eagles respect McNabb too much to laugh about this, they certainly have to feel good about their decision. I sat down and watched a few plays from that loss to the Bucs. McNabb did have some awful throws that short-hopped receivers. He can normally play through those bad stretches, but the Shanahans are tired of waiting for him.

Eli Manning has to find someone he trusts on third down. Manning has been really bad on third down this season, and a lot of that has to do with Steve Smith's being out with injuries. Since Smith's now been placed on injured reserve, Manning has to figure something out. Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham will need to concentrate more than ever because Manning can't afford any more deflections. (He's making enough mistakes on his own). This would be a good time for Derek Hagan to become a reliable third-down receiver. He's shown signs of being that player, but he's no Steve Smith. To me, Smith and the Eagles' Jason Avant are two of the best third-down receivers in the league.

Brian Orakpo loves playing against the Cowboys. The Washington Redskins' outside linebacker and former University of Texas star grew up in Houston hating the Cowboys. He's the player who drew the infamous holding penalty on the Cowboys' Alex Barron in the season opener. As former NFL scout Bryan Broaddus points out on ESPNDallas.com, Orakpo does a really nice job of not allowing much of a hitting surface to offensive tackles. The Skins had the good sense to move Orakpo to the left side to face Barron last time. There's a good chance they'll do the same thing against right tackle Marc Colombo. Orakpo draws a lot of holding calls, and the Redskins basically count those as sacks. He causes offensive tackles to panic, and that's about the highest compliment you can pay a pass-rusher.

The Giants will try to exploit Eagles rookie middle linebacker Jamar Chaney. With Stewart Bradley out for the rest of the regular season with a dislocated elbow, Chaney becomes the starter. He's a talented player, but you know that Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride will try to work him over.

You'll be able to tell early in this game how Chaney's going to play. It's a matchup the Giants will be looking at all afternoon. And if the Eagles' linebackers don't stay in their lanes against Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, they'll be in for a long day.

Update: Wow, thanks for all the comments regarding Chaney. I went off the rails for a minute. Appreciate the feedback.

DETROIT -- Thoughts on the New York Giants’ 21-3 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday.

What it means: Mother Nature couldn’t extend Brett Favre’s streak and she couldn’t slow down the Giants either. After flying to Kansas City and then to Detroit, the Giants finally faced the Vikings and beat them for the first time in the past five meetings. They won their third straight game by avenging a 44-7 loss to the Vikings in the season finale last year while keeping pace in the NFC East with the Philadelphia Eagles. They also took advantage of Green Bay’s loss here in Detroit the day before. The Giants showed that despite being jet-lagged and weary from all the havoc created by the snowstorm, they remained resilient and took care of business against a team that was without Favre, Percy Harvin, Steve Hutchinson and Ray Edwards.

Iron man streak finished: Favre’s streak of 297 consecutive starts ended in Detroit against the Giants when he was unable to play because of a shoulder injury. The Giants have been bad luck for Favre. He played against them in his final game as a Packer in the NFC Championship Game and now his streak ends against the Giants.

Eli's streak continues: Eli Manning made his 100th consecutive start and it started off looking like another streak would continue. Manning entered the game 0-4 against the Vikings with nine interceptions and two touchdowns. He threw two more picks in the first half but he finally beat the Vikings. He wasn’t at his sharpest but the bottom line is Manning got the win. Manning did have another streak end when he was sacked. The Giants had a five-game streak of surrendering no sacks.

Home-field advantage: Ford Field painted a Vikings logo at midfield over the Lions logo, which looked like it had been erased with a pencil eraser. The stadium also played the Vikings horn several times but it never quite felt like home for Minnesota. Even though there were more Vikings fans in the building than Giants’ fans, the crowd of 45,910 seemed more concerned with doing variations of the wave than with the Vikings’ performance. While tickets were distributed for free and the Lions stopped distribution after huge crowds braved the frigid cold in the morning, the stadium was not filled to the capacity of 64,500. It appeared that many of the fans who had original tickets to this game, and those who went to Sunday’s Lions-Packers game and were eligible to come to the game, chose to stay home.

Welcome back: The Giants welcomed back wide receivers Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks and tackle David Diehl from injuries. Nicks started the game opposite Mario Manningham while Smith opened as the third wide receiver. However, Manningham injured his hip flexor in the first half and Smith replaced him. Then Smith injured his hamstring and did not return in the fourth quarter. Smith finished with one catch for 12 yards. Manning looked like he needed a game to get back on the same page with his top two receivers. Smith had missed the previous four games with a partially torn pectoral. Nicks, who finished the game with seven receptions for 96 yards, returned after a two-game absence following surgery to relieve swelling in his leg.

Keep on trucking: The Giants' running game continues to look better and better as the season progresses. Brandon Jacobs started the game and busted a 73-yard run down the left side in the first half. He finished with 116 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries. Ahmad Bradshaw also had a huge run, scoring on a 48-yard sprint down the left side that gave the Giants a 21-3 lead with under three minutes left in the third quarter. Bradshaw finished with 103 yards on 11 carries.

Fewell-injected: Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell does it again as the Giants smothered Tarvaris Jackson, Adrian Peterson and the Vikings' offense. Without Favre and Hutchinson, the Vikings' offense looked inept at times. Peterson was stuffed numerous times and finished with 26 yards rushing on 14 carries. Jackson started off strong, completing 10 of his first 13 passes, but he kept going in and out of the game with injuries.

What's next: The Giants have only a few days to prepare for their biggest game of the season against the Eagles. The NFC East could very well ride on this game as the winner will take a lead with two games remaining. The Giants made Michael Vick look somewhat human last time in Philadelphia, but turnovers and a late defensive breakdown led to a crushing loss four weeks ago. If the Giants want to be a serious contender, they must make a stand against the Eagles and beat them at home.

A few thoughts on another lost opportunity at home by the Washington Redskins:

What it means: The Redskins (5-6) have pretty much bowed out of the playoff race with this loss. The Minnesota Vikings may have been inspired by their new interim head coach Leslie Frazier, but the Skins still had plenty of opportunities in this game. Donovan McNabb got off to a hot start by leading the Redskins to a touchdown on their first drive. He completed all eight of his passes on that initial drive, but he never regained that form. McNabb wasn't very sharp the rest of the game and he was undermined by drops, one of which led to a key interception for the Vikings.

The Goat: Perry Riley's block in the back wiped out Brandon Banks' 77-yard punt return halfway through the fourth quarter. Banks has become the Redskins' best weapon, but Riley's needless block prevented the Skins from taking the lead. He was also called for another block in the back earlier the game. The Skins don't have much margin for error because their offense isn't capable of putting up a lot of points. Banks also had a 65-yard kickoff return that allowed Washington to kick a field goal in the fourth quarter. He's the most electrifying player on the field and it appears that Kyle Shanahan has finally figured that out based on those Wildcat plays we saw.

Adrian Peterson's backup steamrolls Skins: Washington knocked Adrian Peterson out of the game in the second quarter, but the Vikings simply turned to Toby Gerhart, who finished with 22 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown. And late in the game, the Redskins couldn't stop a 41-year-old quarterback when he scrambled for a game-clinching first down. The Redskins needed to capitalize on the Vikings losing their star player, but Minnesota seemed to rally around Gerhart.

What's next: The Skins will make their first trip to New Meadowlands Stadium to face the 7-4 New York Giants. The Redskins beat the Eagles on the road, but I don't see them pulling the upset over a Giants team that overcame a lot of adversity to beat the Jaguars on Sunday. The Redskins are a wildly unpredictable team, but I think their lack of weapons on offense is catching up with them. When you only put up 26 rushing yards in a game, that's a major problem. This is a team that desperately needs takeaways on defense to win games, but Brett Favre wasn't cooperating on this afternoon.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Who says you have to wait until Sunday to paint your face purple? As I explored the downtown area Saturday night, I saw dozens of Vikings fans in full costume. Let's hope Sunday's matchup is a lot more competitive than the two games Saturday. Now let's take a look at what folks around the country are saying about Cowboys-Vikings:

• Dallas Morning News' Tim Cowlishaw is picking the Vikings to win -- because of running back Adrian Peterson.

• David Moore, also of the Dallas Morning News focuses on the Tony Romo-Brett Favre relationship.

• Bill Nichols discusses Cowboys linebacker Keith Brooking's pregame sermons.

• Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com talks about the potential matchup of Percy Harvin vs. Orlando Scandrick.

• Randy Galloway, from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, does a really nice job providing a historical backdrop to the challenge that Romo is facing.
  

• Charean Williams, of the Star-Telegram, writes that Jason Garrett is not concerned about being a head coach right now.

• Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram talks about the history between the Vikings and Cowboys.

• The Minneapolis Star-Tribune had two writers work on a Favre-Romo piece.

• The legendary Sid Hartman delivers some Ben Leber quotes.

• Tom Powers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press says there's no such thing as "wait 'til next year" with this Vikings team.

• Former Dallas Morning News great Rick Alonzo has a Favre story in the Pioneer Press.

It's that time of the week when I finally release my prediction to America. Folks are huddled around their fireplaces tonight waiting for my Cowboys-Vikings pick, unless they live on the West Coast. Obviously, there's a ton of pressure riding on this prediction since we've added so many readers from the NFC North blog this week. But before we get to the main feature, let's look at what the real experts in Bristol thought about this game.

Six of our esteemed panelists picked the Cowboys to win on the road, but former Eagles Eric Allen and Ron Jaworski picked the Vikings. Interestingly, Accuscore and SportsNation both went with the Vikings.

The Beast Prediction: Cowboys 24, Vikings 16. I have to go with the hot team theory, and the Cowboys are definitely in a better place than the Vikings. I don't think the Vikings' offensive line can hold off Anthony Spencer and DeMarcus Ware long enough for Brett Favre to get the ball downfield. And let's stop all this talk about Adrian Peterson. No one runs on the Cowboys, and Peterson hasn't been all that effective late in the season -- by his ridiculous standards. I think the Cowboys could struggle a little bit covering tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, but it won't be a fatal flaw. I'll be catching a plane to Minneapolis on Saturday, so the NFC East blog will be at the Metrodome to bring you all the action.

Please continue to refresh your screens for constant updates -- on Sunday. All my best.

Here on the ESPN Blog Network, we’re bracing ourselves for quite possibly the biggest divisional playoff game in the history of the 2010 postseason. Come Sunday afternoon at the Metrodome, Dallas and Minnesota will reprise a storied postseason rivalry -- sans (hopefully) whiskey bottles, push-offs and Hail Marys. (Well, at least the push-offs.)

ESPN.com's Matt Mosley and Kevin Seifert have spent most of the week buried in the film room -- er, basement -- refining the blogging plan for the rest of the week. As now they’re ready to start breaking down this most critical game.

Kevin Seifert: Greetings from the North Pole, Matt. Actually, you’re going to get lucky this weekend. We’re expecting unseasonably warm temperatures here this weekend, with highs in the 30s. Normally we call that “May” in Minnesota. Usually at this time of year, you can get frostbite on half your hand while walking from the parking lot to the media entrance at the Dome.

Matt Mosley: I will look for any excuse to visit Minneapolis in mid-January and this game is as good as anything else I might come up with. Sid Hartman and I have been waiting on this postseason matchup for years. Jerry Jones tried to capture the "charm" of the Metrodome in his new Cowboys Stadium, but I'm not sure things worked out. And by the way, Drew Pearson told me to pass along his best wishes to Vikings fans.

KS: OK, Matt. Let’s get down to it. Everyone in the world thinks the Cowboys are going to win this game. Even ESPN’s Trent Dilfer is convinced of it. You’ve been close to the Cowboys this season. Are they as hot as everyone says they are?

MM: Kevin, in my eight years of covering the team, I've never been around a more confident bunch of players. I think they're the hottest team in the NFC right now because of something that took place last month in New Orleans. The players got sick and tired of all the talk of their December failures and went out and overwhelmed a Saints team in the Superdome. That game did wonders for the Cowboys' confidence. No quarterback in the playoffs has performed as well as Tony Romo over the past six games and he benefits from having a dominant defense. So yes, I think the Cowboys are as hot as everyone at the Mall of America is indicating.

KS: Actually, Matt, you need to be more specific. We now have Mall of America Field here in addition to the Mall of America. At Mall of America Field, the conversation is revolving around two things: Are the Vikings willing to accept that they are a pass-first offense? And can their tackles, Bryant McKinnie and Phil Loadholt, keep DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer at bay long enough for Brett Favre to get the ball downfield?

If they come out of the gates aggressively and use their full array of offensive weapons, I think they can put up some serious points against the Cowboys' defense. The Vikings are one of two teams in NFL history to have six players catch at least 40 passes. That’s too many receivers for any defense to keep track of if the pass protection is there.

What’s your take, Matt? Do you think Ware & Co. can be slowed down?

MM: I agree with the aforementioned Dilfer that Loadholt and McKinnie are outmatched by the Cowboys' outside linebackers. Since the last time you saw this team, Spencer has become a force. Cowboys defensive coordinator/head coach Wade Phillips even lines them up next to each other at times. Donovan McNabb didn't have a chance against the Cowboys' pass rush and you can argue that Jason Peters and Winston Justice are superior offensive tackles to what the Vikings have to offer. The Cowboys' plan is to make sure Favre has to test those 40-year-old legs. The last time he saw this defense, he completed 5 of 14 passes and was intercepted twice before being knocked out of the game at Texas Stadium. He was of course with a 10-1 Packers team at the time in '07. Keith Brooking told me Tuesday that the Eagles and Vikings have similar offenses, but he alluded to the fact that Brad Childress is much more likely to use the running game than his mentor, Andy Reid. Of course, that's a lot easier to do when you have the pride of Palestine, Texas, Adrian Peterson, in your backfield. It's been quite a while since a team has put up points on this defense -- and that includes a Chargers team that was held to a season-low in points. I don't think we'll have a shootout on our hands, but Sid might have other ideas.

KS: I'll check with Sid when I see him. In the meantime, Matt, we have two elephants crowding the room for this game: The head coaches. In Minnesota, there is an unspoken fear that Brad Childress will get in the way and try to force his power running game on the Cowboys. Prior to Favre’s arrival, and at times this year, that has been Childress’ preference. Childress also made a couple of questionable game-management decisions in last year’s playoff loss to Philadelphia.

On the other side, however, is Phillips. Do Minnesota fans have anything to fear in this matchup?

MM: Calling Phillips an elephant is a low blow, Kevin. The man might fill out a pair of Russell coaching shorts, but he deserves better from you. And yes, there's reason for Vikings fans to fear The Wade. No matter what you say about his head-coaching credentials, he's always been an excellent defensive coordinator. He puts players in position to succeed and he does a superb job of exploiting weaknesses. From reading your fine work on a regular basis, I'm aware that Vikings center John Sullivan isn't a large man. He'll be facing one of the best nose tackles in the game in Jay Ratliff. From time to time, the behemoth-type centers give Ratliff a little trouble. But he's been known to destroy the guys who are close to his size. Everyone's focused on the offensive tackles, but I could see the "Ratt" having a big game in the middle. It all starts with him in this defense.

KS: Interesting. OK, Matt. This was great but is only a step in our coverage plan for this week. Keep checking back on the NFC East and NFC North blogs through Sunday.

MM: Just to be honest, my coverage plan for Saturday is a little weak because of travel. But I've thoroughly enjoyed this tremendous show of synergy within the NFL Blog Network. Kevin, I arrive at 8:10 local time on American, so please pass that along to my driver. Peace and courage from the Beast.