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When I encountered new Chicago Bears receiver Roy Williams after practice Sunday night, he was calm. His voice projected at normal volumes. He wasn't trying to make anyone laugh or find his way into the headlines or otherwise be the life of the party.

It's too easy and would be cliché to suggest Williams was humbled by three unproductive seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. But I do think he fully understands how fortunate he is to have landed with the Bears, a team that doesn't need him to be the star of its offense but which offers a scheme that coaxed his best two seasons in the NFL.

"This is the best scheme in the country for me," Williams said. "It's the best scheme, hands down."

In two seasons under offensive coordinator Mike Martz, when both were with the Detroit Lions, Williams caught 146 passes for 2,148 yards and 12 touchdowns. In the other six seasons of his career, Williams has totaled 210 receptions for 3,060 yards and 30 scores.

For that reason, the Bears wasted no time inserting Williams into their first-team offense during training camp drills this week. The move displaced their top-yardage man from last season, Johnny Knox, and in the end it demonstrated how much the Bears valued a different-sized body among their receivers.

"I know Jay [Cutler] was begging for a big guy," Williams said. "I know I fit the mold of a big guy. I'm not a Brandon Marshall, who is nine-feet tall. But I'm a big guy who can go across the middle, make the catch and try to keep the chains moving."

Williams' classic 6-foot-3 frame suggests his performance should transcend scheme, but it obviously hasn't during his eight-year career. Why did Williams perform so well for Martz in Detroit? Part of it, to be sure, was Martz's pass-happy play-calling at the time. Someone had to get the yards. But I also think that despite his frame, Williams' athleticism and footwork get him to the precise point Martz demands of his receivers in a way normally reserved for much smaller men.

Williams referred to the Bears' receiving group as "The Smurfs" because Knox, Earl Bennett and Devin Hester are all under six-feet tall. But normally, receivers built closer to the ground are quicker in and out of their cuts than longer, loping wideouts.

For whatever reason, Williams had no problem executing in Martz's scheme with the Lions. During the Bears practices I watched this week, his long arms and reach were an important contrast to those of his teammates. Cutler now has his go-up-and-get-it receiver.

Knox, on the other hand, was particularly upset about the quick demotion. But with all due respect, it wouldn't make sense to have three receivers of the same size on the field when there is a viable alternative, and it was unlikely that Cutler favorite Earl Bennett was going to get pushed down the depth chart.

"[Knox] is upset," Williams said. "Everybody is a competitor in this league. You have to be a competitor, but at the same time you have to know what's going on. I would be upset if a guy just came in and got in front of me. That's the nature of this business. There is nothing wrong with what he did. Nothing wrong with what he did. He had an exceptional season last year. If anything is to happen to me, or I go down, he's a great guy to come back in."

In truth, I would consider 2011 an enormous success for Williams if he finishes with the same kind of production -- 51 receptions for 960 yards and five touchdowns -- that Knox did last season. Williams boasts two years of experience in this system, and his arrival will give Knox an opportunity to be a package-focused playmaker as opposed to one expected to make tough catches on third-and-6.

Which brings us to the larger question: Can Williams be trusted with a starting role? I can tell you this much: He couldn't have landed in a better spot to answer that question.

"I know how this thing works," he said. "I know how it works."

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him link. I can, though.

Dallas Cowboys

I was going to post on all this Deion Sanders-Dez Bryant stuff Tuesday, but it felt like a radio interview Deion had given last week and to which I'd already linked. Maybe I was wrong, though, and Deion is saying this same kind of stuff about Bryant again. Calvin Watkins thinks Deion needs to get off the kid's back, and I wonder what Bryant did to Deion to change him from a guy trying to help him out to a guy seemingly determined to tear him down. Must have been pretty bad.

I know how you guys love your Tony Romo golf updates, so here you go. Tony's a co-favorite, along with former major league pitcher Rick Rhoden, to win this weekend's American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament. If I were a player and I were tweeting about this, I'd end it with #pleaseendthelockout.

New York Giants

Jeez, it's tough to find Giants links. I'm going with this from Giants.com on sixth-round safety Tyler Sash, whose chances of cracking the Giants' very deep secondary are slightly better than yours are but whose rookie contribution should come on special teams. A couple of people have asked why we haven't listed "special teams" among the Giants' needs for the coming season. My answer is this: If you had the special-teams season the Giants had, and the guys you just drafted don't help fix the problem, you didn't have a very good draft.

Antrel Rolle says he's been hearing since March that the end of the lockout was a week or two away. My question: Who are this guy's sources? I don't remember anybody even hinting at that in March. Anyway, Rolle says the sky's the limit for the Giants this season, which is fine, to like your team's chances before the rosters are set. Again, Giants links are scarce. These are some quotes from Rolle. Enjoy them.

Philadelphia Eagles

Over at the AFC North blog, James Walker thinks Quintin Mikell could be a target of the Cleveland Browns in free agency. James cites connections with folks such as Dick Jauron and Tom Heckert, who know Mikell from his Philly days, and seems to think Mikell is the kind of solid all-around contributor who'd fit what the Browns are looking for at the position. A couple of other names on here that have come up in some of our safety discussions as well.

Grantland.com's Bill Barnwell did a list of the 25 Least Valuable Players in the NFL, which is a delightfully cranky idea he carried off quite well. The only NFC East player on the list was Eagles cornerback Dmitri Patterson, of whom Barnwell writes, "Patterson was a last resort at cornerback forced into action by injuries; teams avoided Asante Samuel and spent the second half throwing at the guy who the Philadelphia Inquirer politely noted ' … is better suited to special teams.'"

Washington Redskins

Our man in Chicago, Michael Wright, ponders whether Albert Haynesworth would be a good fit with the Bears. Michael believes he would, and I agree. Big Al in a 4-3, away from Mike Shanahan and motivated to play for a contender, is going to be a dangerous dude. Because of that, I also agree with Michael that Shanahan will demand a lot in return for Big Al, and it'll be interesting to see who's willing to pay the price. I've heard some recent speculation about Denver and St. Louis for Al as well. Still say no chance the Eagles can get him, even though that's the best and most obvious fit.

And sticking with the Redskins/Bears theme for some reason, the Chicago Tribune reports that Devin Hester wants the Bears to sign Santana Moss. I think we've all been expecting Moss to sign back with Washington, but if he were to leave, it would create a tough situation for the Skins. It will be tough for them to lure veteran free-agent receivers given their unstable quarterback situation. They'd likely have to overpay to get someone line Braylon Edwards to replace Moss, which would leave them short in their pursuit of other free agents, and could end up having to just let their young guys develop without Moss' guidance.

Hump Day, they call this. We can all get over it together.

The NFL Network's list of the "Top 100 Players of 2011" is reaching interesting territory now. With picks No. 21-30 having been revealed Sunday, the two shows that remain feature the very cream of the crop, player-wise, and should foster fierce debate among fans who have little else to discuss thanks to the lockout.

The only NFC East player to make the list in the 21-30 range was Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who came in at No. 29.

Now, a disclaimer first: While I enjoy this list as a topic of debate, I do not put any extra significance on it because the voters are NFL players. I know it's easy to think, "Well, they'd know best," and ideally they would. But as someone who's covered professional athletes for the past 17 years, I can promise you any player-voted rankings are at least as fraught with bitterness, jealousy and agenda as are rankings voted on by fans or media. Players are liable to vote a fellow player lower than he should be for reasons as simple as not liking how much money the guy makes. So for me, this list is merely a jumping-off point for discussion, not some infallible judgment from on high. Please keep that in mind as we discuss it here and in posts to come.

As for D-Jax, I'm looking at his ranking in the context of his position -- specifically, the other wide receivers ranked nearest to him on either side. Atlanta's Roddy White came in at No. 24 and Detroit's Calvin Johnson at 27. The Colts' Reggie Wayne and the Bears' Devin Hester were right behind Jackson at No. 31 and 32, respectively.

Compared to those other four receivers, I think I agree with Jackson's placement on this list. If I were picking a receiver for my team, I would not pick him over Johnson or White, who in my mind are more consistent, reliable pass-catchers. I think Wayne is that as well, but he lacks the electricity that those other two provide. The excitement Jackson brings when he has the ball in his hand (combine with his brilliance as a return man) elevate him above Wayne, for me. He's also clearly ahead of Hester, whose ranking would seem to have almost everything to do with his return-game abilities. Jackson may not beat Hester as a return man, but he's not far behind. And he's a considerably better receiver.

We've discussed Jackson here a few times, and I think he's a unique guy when it comes to these rankings. I think there are very few, if any, players in the league more lethal when the ball is in their hands. I just don't feel the ball is in Jackson's hands enough. Whether that's his fault, Andy Reid's fault, Michael Vick's fault or whether it has something to do with the Anthony Weiner scandal is, frankly, immaterial. The fact that Jackson caught only 47 balls in 2010 keeps him out of the top echelon of NFL receivers, in my opinion. But when he's involved in the play, I watch it.

I finally escaped Chicago O'Hare and have arrived home in Dallas. Now let's take a look at the fallout from the Washington Redskins' 17-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings:

• Quarterback Donovan McNabb thought he'd be able to lean on a running game in Washington, but that hasn't exactly panned out. Coach Mike Shanahan said Monday that the Skins simply didn't have enough plays in the second half (21) to establish the running game, and he's partly right. He wanted to give James Davis more of a chance, but the Skins weren't able to extend drives long enough for that to happen. And it looks like Shanahan gave up on Keiland Williams prematurely against the Vikings. The Redskins finished with 29 yards rushing on 13 carries. It was the second-worst rushing performance since 1994. The running backs combined to have nine carries. The Skins' rushing attack is so awful right now that the return of Ryan Torain would be a huge boost for this offense. When there's absolutely no threat of the running game working, it takes away from what McNabb can do in the play-action game. I was probably too criticial of McNabb's play Sunday. He had at least five drops and his key interception came on a ball that deflected off Santana Moss' shoulder pads. This team entered the season without enough weapons at running back and wide receiver. It's hard to imagine the Redskins pulling the upset at New Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday, but we're planning to show up and document the game anyway.

• Rookie Brandon Banks is the breakthrough player of the season for the Redskins. Banks could become what Devin Hester was four years ago. He has explosive speed and the ability to squirt through any hole with his slight frame. His 77-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter was wiped out by a needless block in the back on fellow rookie Perry Riley. I thought Mike Wise of the Post did a nice job of putting that play in perspective. Kyle Shanahan needs to continue looking for ways to get Banks involved in the offense. It was nice to see him on a couple of Wildcat plays early in the game, but the Redskins never came back to it. I'd try send Banks on a double move every now and then and see if he could be a poor man's DeSean Jackson. But you don't want to do anything to take away from his work in the return game. With a player that special on kickoff and punt returns, it can make up for a lot of deficiencies.

• It's a shame LaRon Landry's season has been affected by an Achilles' tendon injury. The Redskins strong safety was on his way to a Pro Bowl season, but he's missed the past two games. And Shanahan didn't sound all that optimistic about a quick return: "I can't tell you for sure until he gets out of the boot," said Shanahan on Monday. "When that's gonna be, I'm not really sure. We're gonna look at him and evaluate him day-by-day. We'd like him back as soon as we could. But, obviously, they're not gonna take him outta that boot until they feel like the Achilles makes some strides." I think there's a pretty good chance Landry will end up on injured reserve.

• It's time for Shanahan to go with Will Montgomery at right guard. Artis Hicks wasn't signed to be a long-term starter for the Skins. He's a decent backup, but he gets exposed when he's on the field for several games at a time. Montgomery appears to be somewhat comfortable in Shanahan's zone-blocking scheme. I'd leave him in there as the starter the rest of the season. The Redskins' offensive line is suffering from years of neglect. You might as well try to find out if Montgomery has a little something.

• Carlos Rogers had some interesting thoughts about playing at home. Ryan O'Halloran of CSNwashington.com has the key quote: "Me and some of the guys were talking about that earlier,” said Rogers. “Sometimes you feel when you’re at home that you’re [playing] away because you get so bashed at home for any little mistake. We come to the sideline or the bench and it’s cussing, it’s this, it’s that and we’re just in the first quarter. We’re like, ‘Are we at home or are we away?’ I think we play better away because the fans are quieter." I think the fans would be a lot more supportive if the Skins mixed in a win or two at home. The Redskins have only had three winning records at home during the Dan Snyder era.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Every Monday afternoon, we gather in this sacred place to discuss what took place during Sunday's games. With the Giants and Eagles on their bye week, let's focus our attention on losses for the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins:

Dallas Cowboys

• I made the trip out to Valley Ranch Monday to make sure owner Jerry Jones didn't have a change of heart about firing his head coach. Jones has painted himself into a corner by saying he won't fire Wade Phillips during the season and he's not a man who often admits mistakes in public forums. But to hear how helpless Phillips sounded following Sunday's 35-17 loss, you wondered if Jones might be forced to make a move. Well, nothing has happened yet. Perhaps he is waiting for the Texas Rangers to finish up the World Series before making an announcement. But it's more likely that he'll allow this sham of a season to continue.

• Phillips still has the players' support, but then, what else are they supposed to say? I understand why they like the guy. He's intensely loyal to them and rarely, if ever, calls any of them out in public. We'd all like to report to a Wade-like boss, but that's not an option for most of us. I turned to Phillips' biggest defender, Keith Brooking, on Monday to see what was on his mind. He was playing for the Falcons when Phillips took over as the interim coach during the season, so he has an interesting vantage point on this issue. Here's just a portion of what Brooking said during his time with the media today:

"Everyone’s searching for answers," said Brooking before a throng of cameras rushed over to his locker. "What is going on? It’s very simple. This game is very simple. It’s not complex. As players, we are not going out there and executing the play that’s called. Bottom line. That’s it.

"Wherever [Phillips] has been, he’s been successful. I’ve had a lot of success under Wade Phillips as a defensive coordinator with different personnel, different players, different teams obviously. You think overnight his defense is not going to hold up and be successful? No, it’s on us to go out there and execute and make plays.

"There is a lack of execution on our part, and it’s a different guy on every play. I take the responsibility for that, because I’m a leader on this team. I’m a captain for the defense, and it’s unacceptable. It hurts like hell. The only thing I know to do is keep fighting, keep pressing."

• I also had a chat with right guard Leonard Davis about his head coach's status. Asked if a midseason coaching change would "hurt" this team, David said, "It probably would. Guys are used to playing with this one voice. [If you make the change], maybe some guys could go in the tank." Davis has a unique perspective because he played for some bad teams during his stay with the Cardinals. He remembers a lot of speculation about his head coaches, but he never had one fired during the season. Like the other players I spoke to, Davis voiced his support for Phillips. But you can almost tell that they realize there's no way Phillips can survive this awful season.

• Martellus Bennett walked in wearing a "I [heart] Haters" T-shirt before lounging on a leather couch in the middle of the locker room. He didn't have anything to offer regarding Phillips, but he's "baffled" by his lack of playing time. Bennett, who performed well early in the season, said he was only on the field for about "10 snaps" Sunday. He said he hasn't yet asked for an explanation from offensive coordiantor Jason Garrett.

Washington Redskins

• Mike Shanahan has brought controversy on himself and his team with Sunday's stunning decision. No matter how he's played, Donovan McNabb has won the respect of his teammates. You can hear it in the way they talk about him. They really believed that he was their leader. Now, Shanahan has given them something else to ponder. Here's what McNabb said about his benching Sunday: "When you get benched, you get benched," McNabb said. "Just have to learn from it and move on. I continue to focus as if I'm the starter," he added. "He said I'm still the starter."

• McNabb eventually forgave Andy Reid for benching him in 2008 because they had so much history. That's not the case with Shanahan, as I wrote about earlier Monday. This is a sign that Shanahan & Son have been doubting McNabb as a leader for a good while. If you have faith in the guy, you certainly don't undermine him at such a critical juncture.

• Brandon Banks is an enormous talent. I thought the rookie from Kansas State was a novelty item, but he showed Sunday in Detroit that he can be a huge weapon in the return game. With the offense struggling, you have to find ways to get this guy more touches. I'm not saying you make him a starting wide receiver like Devin Hester in Chicago. But come up with some gimmick plays to get this man the ball. What a remarkable talent. That's about the only positive thing I can say about Sunday's outcome.

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

Five nuggets of knowledge about the Week 7 games.

Can Kevin Kolb stay on a roll against an opportunistic defense? You can throw for a lot of yards against the Titans, as the Giants and Cowboys showed. But the Titans' secondary is good at keeping teams out of the end zone. They've only given up six passing touchdowns this season and they have a knack for making plays in the red zone, as Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw knows all too well. Cortland Finnegan is one of the more underrated cornerbacks in the league, but I think Jeremy Maclin can get open against him. If the Titans sell out to stop Maclin, Kolb will look for Jason Avant and Brent Celek. Against a quick defensive line -- Dave Ball and Jason Babin have been outstanding -- Kolb will have to unload the ball quickly. LeSean McCoy has emerged as a big-time threat in the passing game, so look for him to try to get in matchups with former teammate Will Witherspoon in space. In a hostile environment, it's imperative that the Eagles have their quick game working early. I think Avant will be open on some drag routes because the Titans' safeties will let him cross their faces. If the Eagles have one turnover or less, I think they’ll win. The Titans feed off defensive takeaways. When they don't happen, this can look like a pretty ordinary team.

The Cowboys must be aware of Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora at all times. Umenyiora has turned into the same beast we remember from '07. The Cowboys are going to have to help Marc Colombo against Umenyiora because of his speed and ability to get low around the edge. The former Pro Bowler has eight sacks and a staggering seven forced fumbles on the season. When Mathias Kiwanuka went down with a neck injury following the Titans game, Umenyiora raised his level of play significantly. And as Justin Tuck likes to point out, defensive tackle Barry Cofield is having a remarkable season. It's a good thing the Giants weren't able to complete that draft-day trade with him. Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has great respect for the Giants' defensive line, and that's why you'll likely see a steady dose of screens again this week. I do think Romo will try to see if he can get Witten matched up against Giants middle linebacker Jonathan Goff early in this game. By the way, Hakeem Nicks (hamstring) and Tuck (ankle) missed Friday's practice, but they're both expected to play.

The Redskins can't fall asleep in the secondary. You would hope the Skins have watched film of what the Giants did to the Bears three weeks ago. Jay Cutler was under siege from the opening snap of that game. He's really bad about holding the ball too long. If outside linebackers Brian Orakpo and Lorenzo Alexander can make Cutler uncomfortable, he's a mistake waiting to happen. This is a game where you always must be looking for the strip. The Bears killed the Cowboys by dumping the ball to Matt Forte and Devin Hester in the quick passing game. That set up a deep ball to Johnny Knox. The Bears don't have possession receivers, but they do have wideouts who can fly. Kareem Moore and LaRon Landry must make sure they're getting proper depth. And DeAngelo Hall must stop questioning his coaches long enough to have his head in the game Sunday and not give up any deep balls.

Can the Cowboys cut down on their penalties against the Giants? Coach Wade Phillips hired officials for practice this week in an effort to identify some of the problems. The Cowboys lead the league by averaging 80.8 yards per game from penalties. They're called for nearly 10 penalties per game. The Giants were on a similar pace earlier in the season, but they've eliminated some of those mistakes. All this talk about how well the Cowboys have played from Phillips and Jerry Jones is falling on deaf ears. If they have 10 penalties against the Giants on Monday, I think they'll lose.

Eagles linebackers must be on their game against Titans RB Chris Johnson. The Eagles were solid against Frank Gore and Michael Turner, but they realize that Johnson has a different gear. He's having a down year by his ridiculous standards, but he's still capable of going off for 170 yards and three touchdowns against pretty much any defense in the league. Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott has preached the importance of "gap-sound" football this week in practice.

"As soon as you think you have him stopped, he cuts it back and he hits a seam and he's off to the races,” McDermott told reporters Thursday.

The Titans are the rare team that will stay with the running game if they fall behind by 10 points or so. Honestly, it's probably worse for the Eagles if Kerry Collins starts for Vince Young. With Young, you know he's only going to throw the ball about 20 times. Collins is still capable of having a big day in the passing game, though. But the Titans are smart enough never to abandon the running game.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- A week after Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett fought over who should take the blame for a bone-headed play call, they made it easier for all of us Sunday. Both coaches flopped in the Cowboys' 27-20 loss to the Chicago Bears, but it was Phillips' vaunted defense that took the biggest fall.

This defense hadn't allowed a touchdown in three consecutive regular-season games, but Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz seems to have the Cowboys' number. He was the architect of a game plan that baffled the Cowboys late in the 2006 season and nudged Bill Parcells toward another retirement. Lions quarterback Jon Kitna, now the Cowboys' backup, would famously say that linebacker Bradie James appeared completely lost in that game.

Early in Sunday's game, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was running for his life as outside linebackers DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer raced past offensive tackles. To make matters worse, the Bears lost starting left tackle Chris Williams in the first quarter. After the third consecutive three-and-out series, Cutler shouted, "Can't we block anybody?" as he arrived on the sideline.

Cowboys first-round pick Dez Bryant returned the ensuing punt 62 yards for a touchdown and there were no signs of what was about to happen. Martz changed the game plan on the fly and told Cutler to stop worrying about seven-step drops and just get the ball out immediately. When Phillips sent inside linebackers James and Keith Brooking on a blitz up the middle, Cutler hit tight end Greg Olsen in stride for a 39-yard touchdown. Everyone with the Cowboys agreed it was a blown coverage, although Phillips did offer safety Alan Ball an alibi.

When a reporter timidly suggested the Cowboys might have shown blitz too early on the play, Phillips deadpanned, "Really?"

The Bears don't make their assistant coaches available after games, but Cutler (and several Cowboys defenders) gave Martz his props. The Bears don't have a true No. 1 receiver, but Cutler thinks that can be a positive.

"I think it's almost even a bigger advantage to have what we have and have a lot of weapons," the Bears' quarterback said. "It keeps teams off balance. They don't know where we are going or what we are doing in some of these formations or where we are headed, so it is working out to our advantage, and we have a guy like Mike Martz who knows how to take advantage of all that."

Phillips couldn't get over the fact the Bears were 1-of-11 on third downs but still managed to make some huge plays against his defense. The one conversion came on third-and-15 with the Bears trailing 14-10. Bears wide receiver Johnny Knox raced past Pro Bowl cornerback Mike Jenkins and Cutler delivered a gorgeous ball for a 59-yard completion. Jenkins jumped up looking for a teammate to blame, but Phillips indicated to me after the game that the Cowboys were in man-to-man coverage.

Cowboys history buffs/apologists will point to the 1993 team beginning the season with two losses before winning the Super Bowl. But a young player named Emmitt Smith ended his holdout in Week 3 of that season, and he's not walking through that door.

In the postgame locker room, Cowboys defensive line coach Paul Pasqualoni gathered Marcus Spears, Igor Olshansky, Jay Ratliff and Stephen Bowen for a brief session. All of them still looked shell-shocked by what had happened and could offer little explanation for why the Bears were able to expose them with so many big plays. Across the room, cornerback Terence Newman offered the strongest comments of the afternoon, indicating there had been failures in practice leading up to Sunday's game.

"I think that things kind of got let go in practice. It’s things that … it’s not our coaches. They don’t really know some of the things that were going on," said Newman. "But as players, we have to crack down and make sure that some of the stuff that has been going on, doesn’t go on. We have to make it a game situation in practice. That’s just what it is. We go hard in practice, but maybe our intensity needs to go up a little bit. We got to do that as players and not worry about the coaches."

It was Newman's missed tackle in the fourth quarter that allowed Devin Hester to race down the sideline for 38 yards and set up the Bears' game-sealing touchdown. Newman said the defensive backs talked on Saturday night about establishing an identity, but the search will continue as the Cowboys prepare for a trip to Houston to play an explosive Texans team.

With two strong AFC South opponents looming, the Cowboys are staring at an 0-4 start. It's too early to declare the season over, but get back to me next Sunday afternoon.

Here are some quick-hitting observations from the first half in case you haven't been following our live chat. And really, why haven't you been following our live chat?

• Mike Martz is winning the battle of the offensive coordinators in the first half. The Cowboys were destroying the Bears' offensive line on the first two series, so Martz started calling quick slants and swing passes to folks such as Devin Hester and Greg Olsen. The results were devastating. And Jay Cutler showed off his cannon when he found Johnny Knox on a deep ball.

• Early in the game, the Cowboys have Marion Barber busting loose in the running game. Then for no apparent reason they interrupt his rhythm on what appeared to be a promising drive. Felix Jones tried to bounce a couple runs outside and the Bears were simply too fast. Jason Garrett's approach can be baffling at times.

• Martz is using DeMarcus Ware's speed against the Cowboys. He's letting him come free and then dropping the ball off to his side of the field on little swing passes to Matt Forte or Hester.

• Cowboys safety Alan Ball has not been impressive. On the long touchdown to Olsen, Ball was out of position. He's not reacting quickly enough in the middle of the field. The Cowboys had Cutler on his heels early in the game but they allowed him to get some confidence. With left tackle Chris Williams out of the game, the Cowboys should be having a field day in the pass rush. Kudos once again to Martz for neutralizing the Bears' speed.

• I'll see you after the game for a Rapid Reaction. Halftime score: Bears 20, Cowboys 14.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- As a general rule, if you're going to give up 512 yards to the Giants, it's best to have DeSean Jackson on your roster. The Eagles' wide receiver has been turning heads for two seasons, but on Sunday night he showed the nation why he's become the most explosive player in the league.

He's the ultimate X-factor on a team that is once again peaking at the right time. And this season, the Eagles may even leave themselves some breathing room. With a 45-38 win in their final trip to Giants Stadium, Philadelphia took sole possession of first place in the NFC East. The Eagles almost seemed to be toying with the Giants before finally pulling away in the fourth quarter.

And in the biggest game of the season to this point, Jackson was by far the best player on the field. Even the stoic Andy Reid can't suppress a smile when he's asked about his precocious star. Jackson isn't much for sideline decorum, so he's often in Reid's ear offering up helpful suggestions such as, "They can't cover me, coach!"

On this night, Jackson scored on a 72-yard punt return and a 60-yard reception. He averaged 44.8 yards on his first five touches of the game and the Giants' defensive backs looked even more helpless than usual. It seemed appropriate that Jackson tied a record for most touchdowns in a season of 50 yards or more (with eight). Jackson is now one of three players to hold the record; the other two are the Bears’ Devin Hester ('07) and former Los Angeles Rams great Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch ('51). Jackson does everything with a flair, so it's about time we give him his own catchy nickname.

When it appeared the Giants had settled things down in the second quarter, Jackson fielded a punt at his 28-yard line and immediately retreated several yards to his right. Giants special-teams aces Domenik Hixon and Bryan Kehl converged on Jackson, but they left him a tiny escape route along the sideline and he raced 72 yards to the end zone. There's a gear that Jackson has that pretty much eliminates any angle a defender might have.

"That return was disgusting," said Eagles tight end Brent Celek, who added his seventh touchdown of the season Sunday. "There's no player like him in the league. There are some great receivers out there, but no one's as quick and fast as him."

Before the game, word spread through the Eagles' locker room that the Cowboys had lost to the Chargers. Several players admitted the good news gave them an extra spark in jumping out to a 14-0 lead during the first six minutes. But unlike the Eagles' win at the Linc last month, the Giants refused to go away in Sunday's game. With 5:12 left in the third quarter, Hixon got loose for a 61-yard touchdown to give the Giants a 31-30 lead. On the sideline, Reid said that Jackson was "bugging" him about wanting the ball.

On the next play from scrimmage, quarterback Donovan McNabb dropped back in the pocket and had an eternity to survey the field. With each passing moment, everyone's eyes looked for Jackson, who was in the process of running away from Giants safety Aaron Ross. McNabb delivered a perfect pass and Ross' dive came up empty. Jackson punctuated the 60-yard touchdown by running the final 10 yards backward.

"I feel like I'm kind of the big play, the go-to receiver at crucial moments," said Jackson after the game. "So I went to Donovan, coach Reid and Marty Mornhinweg and I told them, 'Just put the ball in my hands.' They were doing some single coverage a couple times and I was like, 'There's no way they can single coverage me.' "

Jackson missed last week's win over Atlanta while recovering from a concussion, but he said he felt fine leading up to Sunday's game. Reid still marvels at how calm Jackson seems to be in big games.

"New York's a pretty big venue," said Reid. "But [with Jackson], it's like we're playing in the backyard. He loves playing the game."

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- With his remarkable performance tonight, Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson has tied Devin Hester and Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch (1951) for the most touchdowns of 50 yards or more in a season with eight. Before he made that last catch, Jackson had averaged 44.8 yards on five touches. He may be the most electrifying offensive player in the league right now.

Sorry, but can someone help me with that last play call by the Giants. They have the ball on the 43-yard line of the Eagles -- and they call an inside handoff? Really? After watching Hakeem Nicks and Kevin Boss run wild against this defense, that's the best you can do?

The Eagles offense won't stay quiet for long. You have to put the hammer down when you have the chance.

I've gone back and looked at some of the big plays from the Giants' 34-31 overtime win over the Falcons. And I always enjoy the way Mike Garafolo of the Star-Ledger reviews a game.

It's pretty obvious that Giants tight end Kevin Boss is becoming a force in the NFC East. I can't imagine a division in the league that has a group of more talented tight ends. Jason Witten, Brent Celek and Boss are all vying for Pro Bowl appearances, and Chris Cooley was having a nice season before an injury took him out of contention. Quarterback Eli Manning needs a receiver on the field who he trusts implicitly and I think Boss and Steve Smith can both fit that role.

And let's give some credit to Mario Manningham for making some huge plays against the Falcons. The 29-yard catch in overtime put the Giants in field goal position, but he made plays throughout the game.

Former Falcons linebacker Michael Boley had perhaps his best game of the season. From the plays I watched, you can tell that he's not having to think about things as much as he was earlier in the season. But defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan has to do something to prevent his unit from surrendering late leads. This defense used to have a killer instinct that allowed them to lockdown quarterbacks at the end of games. Matt Ryan exposed them in the fourth quarter with two touchdown drives to force overtime.

And here's one thing Garafolo said about the Giants' kickoff coverage that made a lot of sense to me:

I'm really tired of seeing the Giants act like every team has Devin Hester deep. What's with the squib and angle kicks every game? Kick it deep. Did Atlanta KR Eric Weems really scare you enough to squib it after your first TD? RB Aaron Stecker picks it up at the 17, runs 18 yards and suddenly the Falcons have the ball at the 35. Nine plays later, they're in the end zone. Same thing to start the second half. Hester, Ted Ginn or Dante Hall in his prime? Okay. But Weems? Come on, boot it downfield already and let LB Jonathan Goff, DE Dave Tollefson or LB Bryan Kehl whack somebody.

The general sense I got from reading the postgame accounts is that Manning pretty much refused to let the Giants lose another game. They need him to be the best player on the field every week -- especially if the defense keeps breaking down late in games.

What were your biggest concerns after the game? Things you were happy about?