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In case you missed it Sunday, someone named Erik Walden sacked Jay Cutler twice Sunday and had 11 tackles. Walden was a sixth-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in '08, but he didn't make the team. He'd spent most of his career with the Miami Dolphins, but the Packers signed him off the street in late October.

Now, he's making a name for himself after replacing the injured Frank Zombo as the starter at right outside linebacker. I vaguely remember Walden from training camp in '08, but nothing about the former Middle Tennessee player stood out. But he was arguably the best defensive player on the field Sunday, and now he'll prepare to face Michael Vick.

"A lot of guys, probably names you haven't heard this season, have come up big for us," Packers Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Woodson told reporters following Sunday's win over the Bears. "Walden had a huge day for us. You haven't heard his name a lot this year. He's a new guy on this team, but he stepped up big.

"That has had to happen with the amount of injuries we've had. We haven't had guys that have been out two weeks, three weeks. We've had guys on [injured reserve] who couldn't come back. Backups and practice squad guys who have been called up, they've had to play and play well in order for us to get into the playoffs."

The Eagles will have to focus a lot of their attention on Packers linebacker Clay Matthews on Sunday, so Walden will probably have plenty of opportunities against one-on-one blocking. Everyone talks about the Packers being a dangerous No. 6 seed based on their offense, but their defense has been equally (if not more) impressive this season.

Three things to know about next Sunday’s Packers-Eagles wild-card game:

1. Can the Philadelphia Eagles recover from two consecutive losses to end the season? I don't think a season-ending loss to the Cowboys on Sunday will have a major impact because the Eagles left most of their stars on the sideline. In fact, it was pretty impressive that a bunch of backups nearly handed the full-strength Cowboys a loss. But the loss to Minnesota last Tuesday is still baffling. The Eagles actually had something to play for in that game, and they didn't show up. If Michael Vick continues to recover from his quadriceps injury and DeSean Jackson's foot heals, the Eagles should regain their devastating speed. Resting the starters against the Cowboys was the right move. Now, the Eagles will face one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Aaron Rodgers. The Chicago Bears held the Packers down for much of Sunday's game, but Rodgers was able to connect with Greg Jennings on a gorgeous throw to set up the winning touchdown.

2. Michael Vick began his remarkable season against this team. When Kevin Kolb left the Eagles' season-opener against the Packers with a concussion, Vick was sensational in relief. He threw for 175 yards and a touchdown to go along with 103 rushing yards. He famously said after the game that he thought the Eagles would've won had he been on the field the entire time. Andy Reid ended up making Vick the starter, and the rest is history. But this week, the sixth-seeded Packers will be game-planning for Vick. Cornerback Charles Woodson may be headed to the Pro Bowl, but I believe that Tramon Williams has had the better season. The Packers' defensive backs will try to be physical with Jackson and Jeremy Maclin at the line of scrimmage. The Packers held Jay Cutler and the Bears to a field goal Sunday in bailing out what is normally a prolific offense. Why did the Bears play their starters when nothing was on the line? It's probably because they desperately wanted to keep a dangerous team such as the Packers out of the playoffs. I think the Eagles would've preferred playing the Giants a third time to playing the Packers again.

3. The Eagles' secondary is about to encounter perhaps the best group of receivers in the league. The Packers' receivers do a tremendous job of running after the catch, as the Giants learned last week. If Rodgers gets in a groove early, the Eagles could be in trouble. The Eagles have given up 31 passing touchdowns this season, which ranks them right behind the Cowboys in terms of worst in the NFC. Rodgers thrives on finding his receivers on crossing routes and watching them add 20 or 30 yards to the play. The Eagles' defensive backs must do a much better job tackling against this group. The Eagles have the offensive firepower to keep up in a shootout, but Reid doesn't want it to come to that. Philadelphia's biggest flaw is its defense, and the Packers have the weapons to expose it. Fortunately for the Eagles, the Packers' offensive tackles have struggled at times. This is the type game when defensive end Trent Cole's ability to get leverage will help in a big way. And the Eagles must figure out a way to keep defensive end Juqua Parker from playing too many snaps. D-end Darryl Tapp made some nice plays against the Cowboys on Sunday and the Eagles need him to continue his strong play. But I can't imagine a better first-round matchup than this. If you can think of the last No. 6 seed that looked this scary, let me know.

He may have missed the past three games because of an Achilles tendon injury, but Washington Redskins strong safety LaRon Landry has actually extended his lead in the NFC Pro Bowl fan voting. Players and coaches will also have a say in the voting process that continues through Dec. 20. Landry has a comfortable lead in the fan voting over Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson.

Cornerback DeAngelo Hall is also in the mix for a Pro Bowl spot. He's listed just behind Charles Woodson in the fan voting. But I think Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel will gain some momentum down the stretch. He's also been out with an injury. I heard a spirited debate regarding Samuel's career in the Cowboys locker room. And just so you know, Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick and safety Gerald Sensabaugh were the ones vehemently defending Samuel.

Dallas Cowboys

As part of a series on non-starters with a lot to prove this summer, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com takes a look at Jason Hatcher.

The Dallas Morning News' Rick Gosselin makes the argument that Tony Romo is already among the all-time elite quarterbacks.

DMN's Gerry Fraley asks if Romo is the opposite of LeBron James.

New York Giants

ESPNNewYork.com's Ohm Youngmisuk has an update on injured rookie safety Chad Jones as well as other post-July 4th notes.

Teammate Justin Tuck talked about Chad Jones' mindset: "... From everything I've read and everything I've heard, he seems to be optimistic about walking running and playing again. That's the No. 1 battle. If you can keep it together mentally in situations like that, it gives you a better chance of making it through."

Philadelphia Eagles

Howard Eskin of WIP radio in Philadelphia tweeted that the Eagles may be interested in Troy Smith.

Jeffrey McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports the team is aware of Michael Vick's "confrontation" at his birthday party and "considers the DA statement about the incident a mischaracterization."

Washington Redskins

Charles Woodson, the reigning AP defensive player of the year, had this to say about Albert Haynesworth's situation: "I think probably the consensus is nobody can understand how you can get $100 million and not want to come play whatever system it is."

Analyst Cris Collinsworth had high praise for the acquisition of Donovan McNabb, calling the Skins' trade for the quarterback "one of the great additions to a team I've ever seen."

Just when you thought Wade Phillips and the Cowboys were pretty much done, they go out and hand the Saints their first loss of the season. And as much as we've bragged about Drew Brees this season, Tony Romo was the best quarterback on the field in the Cowboys' 24-17 win. Romo was 22-of-34 for 312 yards and a touchdown. And he used his legs to extend important drives. He has been heavily criticized for his record in December, but this was the signature win that a lot of folks have been waiting on. Here are a few quick-hitting observations on the Cowboys' win in the Big Easy:

Week 15 Coverage

• MNF video analysis | Breakdown
• Monday Night Football HQ
• Seifert: Packers fail tough test
• Williamson: Emotional Chargers win
• Clayton: Last Call | Bengals hit hard
• Kuharsky: Titans on roll | Colts perfect
• Graham: Moss speaks little, says a lot
• Yasinskas: Saints far from perfect
• Mosley: Ware's return lifts Cowboys
• NFL Nation: Reactions | Wraps | Live

• Having DeMarcus Ware on the field gave the Cowboys a huge lift. Phillips wisely limited him to passing downs and he had a ton of energy. That made a big difference on the final drive. It was Ware who caused the Brees fumble that clinched the win for the Cowboys. And right up until that moment, I thought Brees might have a legitimate shot of leading the Saints back. Here's what Ware told the NFL Network moments after the game: "When I told the team I was playing tonight, everybody's eyes lit up. And as you can see, the scoreboard lit up too." Most people didn't believe Phillips on Monday when he said that Ware could possibly play against the Saints. But the All-Pro outside linebacker made steady progress with the team's medical staff and was finally cleared after going through a series of tests a couple hours before the game.

• Miles Austin is obviously the Cowboys' No. 1 wide receiver at this point. He had the big touchdown early in the game, but it was his catch and run on a third-and-long with 6:28 left in the game that held the Saints' comeback at bay. You can tell Romo has so much faith in Austin. Conversely, why would anyone have faith in Roy Williams at this point? His drop on a quick slant in the fourth quarter allowed the Saints to continue their comeback. I'd bench the guy. He really has no business being on the field -- especially with players such as Kevin Ogletree and Patrick Crayton making clutch catches.

• Surely the Cowboys will go ahead and cut kicker Nick Folk now. The NFL Network showed footage of him shanking field goals before the game and sure enough he hit the right upright on a short attempt with 2:14 left in the game. I can't imagine him being on the roster when the Cowboys make the trip to Washington next Sunday night. Winning has a way of covering up warts, but Folk can't hide after that miss.

• Mike Jenkins is about to become a perennial Pro Bowl player if he keeps this up. The Cowboys' second-year cornerback went toe-to-toe with perhaps the deepest group of receivers in the league. His interception in the second quarter ended a Saints scoring threat and he made plays throughout the game. He's playing with a swagger right now that's pretty impressive. And he's getting good jams at the line of scrimmage. Jenkins told me Wednesday he's a huge fan of Charles Woodson's game. And on Saturday night, he sort of reminded me of Woodson. He's by far the best cornerback the Cowboys have right now and he'll be in the Pro Bowl mix next season.

• It's a joke that Jay Ratliff isn't in the top five in the Pro Bowl fan voting. Ratliff can take over a game from his defensive tackle spot. He controlled Saints center Jonathan Goodwin and caused a lot of trouble in the middle. Ratliff didn't really show up on the stat sheet other than his fumble recovery, but he caused a lot of trouble for the Saints.

• This had to be outside linebacker Anthony Spencer's best game as a Cowboy. With Ware resting quite a bit on first and second down, Spencer turned up the pressure. For some reason, the Saints kept forgetting to block him and Spencer took advantage. Spencer and Ware combined for four sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. This is what the Cowboys had in mind when they drafted Spencer in the first round.

• Let's revisit the Austin note: Austin completely embarrassed Saints first-rounder Malcolm Jenkins on a double move on the touchdown. Jenkins just bit all the way, allowing Austin to get over him for the easy touchdown. Perfect throw by Romo. And then the heralded Darren Sharper had trouble keeping track of Austin. Austin ran through Sharper's arm tackle on one long play in the first half. On that huge play with 6:28 left in the game, tight end Jason Witten did a nice job of clearing things out for Austin.

• Tony Romo said on TV after the game that the Cowboys used a Tony Dungy video clip as a source of motivation. Romo revealed special teams coach Joe DeCamillis showed a video of Dungy saying on NBC last Sunday night the Cowboys had "no chance" against the Saints.

• The Cowboys' reward: One whole week with no one talking about how awful they've been in December. Impressive win. If they follow it up with a win in Washington, we're looking at a huge showdown between the Cowboys and Eagles to end the regular season.

So much for trusting this Cowboys team. It's not that they lost the game on the road to a desperate Packers team, it's how poorly they played.

Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was sacked five times and he didn't get any help from an anemic running game. When the outcome was still in doubt, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett never really tried to establish the run. And the Roy Williams fumble was huge. He had a 42-yard gain before fumbling.

He took the blame for the loss, but he shouldn't have to. The Cowboys' offense was so dreadful that it left the defense on the field for long periods of time. DeMarcus Ware had two sacks, but the defense couldn't hold up in the second half. Of course, when you spot the Packers the ball deep in your own territory, its not going to be easy.

The Cowboys had an opportunity to secure a stranglehold on the NFC East lead. Now they're just one game clear of the Eagles and Giants. It's obvious that we've overrated the NFC East this season. And it's alleged best team had a miserable performance in a big spot.

This was the game where we were supposed to find out whether the Cowboys could handle success. Obviously they have a ways to go in that department. And suddenly that Redskins game next weekend doesn't look like a lock. The Skins had a courageous win over the Broncos on Sunday, so they'll arrive in Arlington with some momentum.

Packers cornerback Charles Woodson was the best player on the field Sunday. His two forced fumbles and interception was a huge part of why the Packers won the game. And it's fair to say the Packers are right back in the running for a playoff spot in the watered-down NFC.

What a great day it was for the Giants.

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

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 10:

The Eagles are going to be vulnerable at linebacker and cornerback against the Chargers. The Eagles have been dealing with injuries all season, but the losses of Ellis Hobbs for the season and Joselio Hanson to a four-game suspension have put them in a real bind. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is a tough guy who will stand in the pocket and take punishment. And with Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates running routes, he has plenty of options. Eagles defensive coordinator Sean McDermott would prefer to generate pressure from his front four, thus not exposing players such as cornerback Dimitri Patterson. Cornerback Asante Samuel loves to take chances on defense, but he needs to play under control against this offense. Just when you think Chargers coach Norv Turner is on the ropes, he gets his team going. That was a huge win over the Giants in the Meadowlands. We'll see if they can ride that momentum to a win over the Eagles. And by the way, keep your eye on Chris Gocong moving to middle linebacker. That's a completely different situation for him, and I think he could find himself covering Gates every now and then. That's not a good thing for the Eagles.

I think the Eagles will ride Brian Westbrook in this game. Yes, I know this is a different team with DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, but the Chargers did a nice job taking away the deep ball against the Giants. Westbrook appears to be healthy heading into this game, and I think he could give the Chargers' linebackers trouble in space. I think Andy Reid needs to get Westbrook involved early so he can take a hit or two. He hasn't played since that violent collision with London Fletcher's knee. Once Westbrook feels some contact, I think he'll be ready to go. I see a breakout game coming for him. And if you know my track record on predictions, make sure you bench Westbrook on your fantasy team immediately.

The Redskins are catching the Broncos at a bad time. After a brilliant start to the season, the Broncos have dropped two straight to the Ravens and Steelers. They can't afford a three-game losing streak. I think Josh McDaniels will take advantage of the Skins' issues in the secondary. With Levi Jones taking over at left tackle and Chad Rinehart possibly getting some valuable time at guard, Washington's offensive line will have a different look. I don't think it can be any worse. Mike Williams was struggling mightily before he was injured. Here's hoping that Jim Zorn and Sherm Lewis discussed ways in which Jason Campbell can get the ball away quicker. Don't waste time sending Santana Moss on double moves 40 yards downfield when there's no hope of getting the protection. And on defense, this is the game where you need Albert Haynesworth to earn his money. I know his legion of apologists has spoken, but it's time for him to take over a game. This would be a good place to start. The Redskins can't afford the turnovers that have plagued them all season. If they get a quick start and a heroic performance from the defense, the Redskins can hang around in this game. Am I predicting a win? C'mon!

The Cowboys must dominate the line of scrimmage on defense. Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware could have three or four sacks. The Packers' offensive line has been awful this season, but those 37 sacks are also a product of Aaron Rodgers holding onto the ball too long. He won't be able to get away with that Sunday. Packers left tackle Chad Clifton is back from an ankle injury, but it's not like he's completely healthy. He really struggles when pass-rushers try to make an inside charge. At this point, Clifton's just a guy. Someone named T.J. Lang is going to get the start at right tackle. This is a big, big problem for the Packers. And keep your eye on Keith Brooking and Ware in this game. This offensive line has allowed linebackers to come racing through the line of scrimmage in the running game.

I love this Charles Woodson vs. Jason Witten matchup. It looks like the Packers will try to keep Woodson close to the line of scrimmage and let him press Witten. I think Witten's athletic enough to get releases on the long-armed Woodson, but we'll see if quarterback Tony Romo has enough time to get the ball to him downfield. I think it will be one of the best matchups on the field. Romo will be looking for Packers cornerback Jarrett Bush. The Cowboys think he's susceptible to double moves. That's why they hope he jumps on Miles Austin or even Patrick Crayton at times. If Bush gets burned a lot Sunday, remember that you read about it on Final Word, one of America's fastest growing features on the Internet.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- So what do we make of that first half? Some of us prepared ourselves for a shootout, but the main action has occurred between kickers Mason Crosby and Nick Folk.

It's not like either team is having trouble moving the ball, but things are slowing down in the red zone. Now in his third year as the starter, Tony Romo still struggles to secure the ball. On that last possession, he knew he was about to get sacked, but he waved the ball around anyway. And the interception in the end zone was simply careless.

Tight end Jason Witten was surrounded by Packers, but Romo fired it in there ayway. That's not a chance you need to take. In this type of game, it looks like points will be precious. I sometimes feel like this offense gets a little too proud of itself. There's the mentality that you can make up for mistakes later because of the prolific numbers you've been able to post.

Romo should thank T.O. for racing after Nick Collins and preventing a touchdown. As I mentioned earlier, he also did a great of running in front of Felix Jones during his 60-yard touchdown run. He sealed off the sideline. That play is obviously the difference in this game right now.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was hot early, but now he's struggling in the face of the Cowboys' pressure. He's managed to escape Greg Ellis twice, but he can't keep running for his life.

For the Packers, Aaron Kampman has two sacks, but you can't pin either one on Cowboys right tackle Marc Colombo. Both of them were coverage sacks. But you have to admire Kampman's motor. He's been relentless. Remember that the Cowboys deferred to the second half on the kickoff. Look for them to try to wear down the Packers with Barber early in the half and then let Jones finish them off.

Looks like Charles Woodson is covering T.O. one-on-one quite a bit. I wouldn't be surprised to see a fly pattern early on the first series.