ESPN NFL

Friday the 13th, huh? Well, we'll get through it together. Or something like that. Links.

New York Giants

Johnette Howard writes of Corey Webster, and how much has changed for both him and the Packers since that game four years ago when he intercepted Brett Favre in overtime.

Packers defensive lineman B.J. Raji says the Giants' offensive line is "not the toughest" against which he's played. Meh. I'm sure he's right, but why do these guys keep saying stuff like this?

Philadelphia Eagles

LeSean McCoy went on the NFL Network and said the team is sticking by coach Andy Reid and that next year will be the Eagles' year. Why didn't he tell us this five months ago? Really could have covered the season a lot differently if we'd known. Next year. Not this year. Next.

The Minnesota Vikings are striking out like crazy in their efforts to find a new defensive coordinator, and Tom Pelissero suggests a possible target that will cause Eagles fans to spit their milk and Cheerios through their noses: Juan Castillo. Seriously, read it.

Dallas Cowboys

Looks as though the "offensive coordinator" part of Bill Callahan's title is a formality, as all of the coverage of the Cowboys' Thursday announcement indicates that head coach Jason Garrett will continue calling plays. Regardless, former Jet Damien Woody has lots of good stuff to say about the Cowboys' new offensive line coach.

The Cowboys also will be in the market for a veteran backup quarterback, as Jon Kitna has told them he's retiring. This is not a surprise.

Washington Redskins

This is day-old news but bears mentioning: Redskins linebacker London Fletcher has won this year's Bart Starr Award for outstanding character and leadership. Fellow NFC East players Nnamdi Asomugha and Jason Witten were also finalists.

What will the teams at the top of the draft do about quarterback -- even the ones who already have one? Dan Daly muses on that and what it could mean for the Redskins' pursuit of their new signal-caller.

A few thoughts on the Washington Redskins' disappointing 33-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in their final home game of the season:

What it means: The Redskins have lost at least 10 games for the third season in a row, and much of the good feeling that accompanied last week's victory over the New York Giants has to have ebbed a bit. This was a Vikings team whose star running back and rookie quarterback left the game with injuries, and the Redskins' defense was nonetheless powerless to stop backups Toby Gerhart and Joe Webb.

Credit where due: Jabar Gaffney had six catches for 77 yards and a touchdown to continue a very strong season that hasn't received much attention because of the circumstances in which he plays. If he's a Redskin next year, he'll be an asset to whoever they use at quarterback. He's up to 919 receiving yards for the season.

Another rookie runner: With Roy Helu hurting, Mike Shanahan gave the start at running back to Helu's fellow rookie, Evan Royster. And Royster did a lot to back up the notion that running backs are interchangeable in the Shanahan offense. He had 132 yards on 19 carries and gives the Redskins and their fans another thing to feel good about as they look ahead to what they might be able to piece together on offense next year if they can get a quarterback.

Something had to give: The battle of the interception streaks went to the Vikings, who picked off a Rex Grossman pass in the fourth quarter. That broke a streak of nine consecutive games in which the Vikings' defense had not intercepted a pass. And it extended Grossman's personal streak to 11 straight games with at least one interception. Grossman had a fine statistical game otherwise, completing 26-of-40 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns.

What's next: The Redskins will try to match last season's win total when they finish their season next Sunday afternoon against the Eagles in Philadelphia.

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.

By now you know we have this thing we do every week called the 411 video. It's where I and my fellow ESPN.com NFL division bloggers, through the magic of Skype, go around the league and let you know what's on our minds about the goings-on in our divisions. This week's NFC edition is up now, and if you click on that video up there you can watch and listen to Kevin Seifert on the way the Vikings played the final minutes of their game Sunday, Mike Sando on the improvement Kevin Kolb showed last week, Pat Yasinskas on the need for the Falcons' run game to have a big day and yours truly on what DeMarcus Ware's teammates think is so special about him.

Enjoy it. A couple of weeks back when I ran this, somebody in the comments said, "They look like a bunch of nerds sitting around their houses talking football." To which I reply: "And?"

Each week my NFC blog colleagues and I engage in a little something we like to call the "NFC 411" -- a video project where we go around the conference and each pick one thing we're looking for in this weekend's games. I think they do it in the AFC, too, but who pays attention to that, right?

Anyway, this week's NFC 411 video is here, and if you click on it you can see and hear Kevin Seifert previewing Packers-Vikings, Mike Sando discussing Kevin Kolb's chances for a breakout against the Steelers and Pat Yasinskas talking about why coaches are calling Detroit "the Seattle of the Midwest." (Personally, I always thought Seattle had much better restaurants.)

Me? Oh you know what I talked about. I talked about John Beck. What else is there?

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.

Every now and then, I am reminded that the NFL has seven divisions besides this one, so I like to wander around and check out the excellent work being done on those other seven divisions by my ESPN.com blog network colleagues. Kevin Seifert of the NFC North blog wrote today pondering whether the Minnesota Vikings should or would add a veteran quarterback via trade or free agency.

This has NFC East relevance, of course, because Minnesota is thought of as the most likely trade partner with the Redskins for Donovan McNabb, who clearly no longer fits into Washington's plans. Kevin seems to be of the belief that the Vikings drafted Christian Ponder in the first round under the assumption that he would start very soon, if not right away, and wonders whether it makes sense for the team to go out and spend assets to acquire a veteran, such as McNabb, if that veteran is only going to start a couple of games for them:

"Stranger things have happened, but the days of a highly-drafted quarterback spending his rookie season on the sideline are all but over. The Vikings probably need a veteran backup quarterback, but should they spend time pursuing and preparing a potential starter with Ponder's inevitable ascension around the corner? I'm not sure about that."

It's an interesting point, and it raises the question of (a) what the Redskins will be able to get in return for McNabb, especially since the whole world knows they need to get rid of him and (b) whether McNabb would be happy in Minnesota if Ponder is going to be the starter there either right away or soon. Remember, when the Eagles traded McNabb to Washington, they did it in consultation with him, and after he told them that was his preferred destination (over, say, Oakland). If McNabb has no choice but to be a backup, my guess is he'd just as soon stay in D.C. and do that. But I don't think that's the case. I think he still believes he can be an NFL starter, and that he was done wrong in D.C. by Mike and Kyle Shanahan, and that he'd be unhappy in a backup role. And if Kevin is right and the Vikings are only looking for a backup, how much are they going to want to spend to bring in a potentially unhappy one?

Mike Sando and Matt Williamson took a look back at the first round of the 2009 draft and ranked the picks, division by division. Mike's focus is on the NFC West, since that's his blog, but it was nice of him to make this an all-encompassing post from which the rest of us could steal liberally. Thanks, Mike. Your check is in the mail.

The NFC East did pretty well in this survey, ranking second among the eight divisions for return (so far) on its investment in 2009 first-round picks. The Cowboys didn't have a first-rounder that year, but the Redskins took Brian Orakpo 13th overall, the Eagles took Jeremy Maclin 19th and the Giants took Hakeem Nicks 29th. All three have been strong contributors at least and outright stars at times, and all three look poised to get even better in the short term and the long.

The only division that fared better in these rankings was the NFC North. The Packers had two picks in the '09 first round and spent them on B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews, whom you may have enjoyed watching win the Super Bowl a couple of months back. The Lions picked Matthew Stafford and Brandon Pettigrew, two key cogs in their offense when Stafford is healthy. And the Vikings got Percy Harvin. The Bears didn't have a first-rounder that year, but I think it's safe to say that the North's haul beats the East's in terms of volume and because of the aforementioned Packers Super Bowl title.

The reviews on this could change over the next few years, of course, but for now you have to believe the Giants, Redskins and Eagles are happy with the way that 2009 first round went.

As we continue our Power Rankings series, it’s time to look beyond the player and examine what’s wrapped around his head.

Let’s blow the lid off this NFL helmet caper, shall we?

The NFL helmet has long been an obsession. Whether it’s the unmistakable star of the Dallas Cowboys, the beyond-the-gridiron meaning in Pittsburgh or the great helmet–change fiasco in San Francisco in the early 1990s, the NFL has been all about the helmet. After all, in football, we don’t look at faces, we look at logos.

Come on, who hasn’t spent a Saturday afternoon feeding countless quarters into a gumball machine full of worthless plastic all in the name of getting a complete set of NFL helmets?

So, we put our artistic eyes together (with the courtesy of professional help) and came up with our top 10 NFL helmets. Consensus? No, not even close. In a 2011 Power Rankings record, 26 lids collected votes. Eye of the beholder, folks.

Interestingly, two of the six teams that got no lid love received kudos from our guest judge. I’d take her word over mine. You should see what I’m wearing right now. Think John Belushi in "Animal House." Then take it down a few notches.

We’ve had our battles this spring when it came to ranking players, coaches and owners, but this task has to be the most subjective of all. It’s vanilla or chocolate. Or, in this case, purple or red.

Still, there were several helmets -- traditional teams seemed to catch the imagination -- that received more votes than others.

Fittingly, the winning helmet is of a team that has been scoring big during this entire series: the Pittsburgh Steelers. The black helmet received 50 voting points, cruising to an easy win. Second-place Indianapolis, and its famous horseshoe, received 41 points.

AFC North blogger James Walker was the only person to vote for the Steelers, who received top-10 votes from six of eight voters, as the No. 1 helmet. Only NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert (he received big-league redemption -- we’ll explain later) and AFC East blogger Tim Graham shunned the Steelers.

Walker explained that it was fitting for the Steelers’ helmet to win because it represents a gritty, historic city.

“Most helmets have a mascot or the team’s name or initials, but Pittsburgh’s helmet actually has in-depth meaning,” Walker said. “The colors of the diamond shapes each represent elements of steel, which was once a major industry in Pittsburgh. Also, Pittsburgh is the only NFL team with its helmet logo on one side. I think the uniqueness and tradition helps separate the Steelers.”

Here’s the rest of the top-10 list after the Steelers and Colts: Oakland Raiders (my first-place vote -- just look cool, baby), Green Bay Packers, San Diego Chargers, Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins.

Below are some key aspects of the vote:

Walking the Runway: We are thrilled to have a celebrity presence this week. Former "Project Runway" contestant Peach Carr, a successful Chicago fashion designer and self-professed sports nut, lent her expertise this week.

Predictably, her opinion differed greatly from many of us slouches. Hey, sportswriters are rarely accused of being spiffy, snappy, hip or even presentable, so what do you expect?

The most telling of Carr’s selections was her choice of the San Francisco 49ers at No. 2. They were among the six teams shut out by the rest of us. I’d listen to the Peach, San Francisco.

Carr went with the hometown Bears as her top choice. The Bears finished ninth in our poll. Major fashion buttons to Seifert. He was the only voter to agree with the professional. Reached for comment, Seifert had this to say: “Yesssssss.”

Well said, Mr. Blackwell.

Carr placed the Houston Texans as her No. 6 helmet. It was also one of the six helmets the rest of us neglected.

You made it work, Peach. Auf Wiedersehen to the rest of us.

The Lone Vote State: In an upset, the Cowboys’ helmet finished sixth. Graham was the lone blogger to vote Dallas’ helmet first.

“I was shocked to see nobody else put the Cowboys at the top of their ballots,” Graham said. “That helmet is the most iconic of them all. The lone blue star is known immediately by grandmothers who never watch football. It's a classic look that strikes you whether you're watching from the stands or at home. There's no tiny print to read, no cluttered symbols to decipher. You see it, you know it. And it likely conjures a visceral reaction whether you're a fan or not.”

Going traditional: In addition to the 49ers and Texans, the Tennessee Titans, Cincinnati Bengals, Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals were the only teams shut out by the eight voters. The 49ers are the only team in the group that has a history-rich franchise. However, the top 10 is dominated by tradition-rich teams.

NFC West blogger Mike Sando saw a trend.

“My thought is that success helps a brand become appealing in a lot of cases,” Sando said. “Would the Steelers' helmet really rank first if the team had tanked every year? I do not think so. Look at the Colts, Raiders, Packers, Cowboys, Browns ... all have storied histories.”

Kicking it old school: If the “throwback” helmets were allowed in the voting, I bet things would be different. My prized possession (probably says more about my collection of stuff than my sentiment) is my complete set of NFL throwback mini helmets. It is proudly displayed in my office.

There are some beauties in that collection. That’s one of the reasons I went with the New York Jets' helmet as my No. 2 choice. I like the old-style look. My favorite helmet of all time is the old-school New England Patriots helmet. I love me some Patriot Pat and couldn’t get enough of watching the Patriots when the league honored the AFL in 2009.

Put your thinking helmet on. What do you think is the most fashionable helmet in the NFL? Fill the comments section below with your thoughts.

The NFL has moved the Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles game from Sunday night to Tuesday because of an expected blizzard that could dump up to 20 inches snow on Philadelphia.

The game will be played at 8 p.m. ET.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter declared a snow emergency as of 2 p.m. ET Sunday.

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.

It shouldn't come as a shock that Brett Favre's annual decision -- to play or not to play -- is holding up several NFL teams. And as my colleague and pal Ed Werder of ESPN reports today, Favre's not going to let a little thing like Donovan McNabb's future rush his decision.

If the Vikings are going to enter the McNabb "sweepstakes," they sort of need a heads up from Favre. And since that's unlikely, it probably eliminates the one trade destination that McNabb's reportedly signed off on. So if you're keeping score at home, Favre's annual decision-making period may be influencing the Eagles, Vikings, Werders, Bills, 49ers, Raiders and perhaps even the Panthers and Cardinals.

ESPN's Adam Schefter has reported that sources around the league have indicated that Kevin Kolb will start for the Eagles in 2010, which seems like a logical conclusion since the Eagles have basically parked McNabb out front like a used car. Schefter also Tweeted on behalf of Len Pasquarelli Friday that the Raiders were willing to trade Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha for McNabb.

I can't believe the Raiders would pull the trigger on a deal like that, but hey, it's the Raiders. And there's also the issue of McNabb perhaps not wanting to spend the twilight years of his career in the Black Hole. OK, now I'm headed to Houston for an Elite Eight game. Talk soon.

The Philadelphia Eagles will only consider trading quarterback Donovan McNabb if the deal includes a pick among the top 42 in April's draft, according to the Associated Press. The Raiders, Bills and Rams each have two picks among the top 42, and all of them need help at quarterback.

Of that group, I think McNabb would prefer the Rams because of his familiarity with their coaching staff. Rams offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur served as quarterbacks coach for the Eagles and head coach Steve Spagnuolo was a secondary coach under Jim Johnson in Philly. We won't know if the Minnesota Vikings are in play until Brett Favre makes a decision regarding his future.

The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that McNabb's first choice would be the Vikings, which makes sense. Minnesota head coach Brad Childress was the offensive coordinator for the Eagles and he runs the West Coast offense that McNabb's accustomed to. It would be a nice fit, but the Eagles can't afford to sit around and wait on Favre. According to the Inquirer report, McNabb's not thrilled about going to the Rams, Bills or Raiders. And why would he be? The only upshot to any of those teams is that McNabb could probably sign a lucrative extension, including a healthy signing bonus.

We'll keep you posted on any developments as the day unfolds.

MINNEAPOLIS -- So much for that hot team theory. The Vikings may have stumbled through the month of December, but they buried the formerly red-hot Cowboys in a 34-3 win that felt like it was over by halftime.

A week after their major breakthrough against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cowboys looked overmatched in the Metrodome. Even coach Wade Phillips, a man who can find a silver lining in the darkest of moments, wasn't able to offer a defense for the Cowboys' tepid showing in a divisional playoff game. It was the second-worst playoff loss in franchise history, surpassed only by a 38-6 loss to the Detroit Lions in 1991.

"It's like an elevator falling all the way from the top; it's tough when it's over," said a grim-faced Phillips. "I was surprised, but they have a good football team."

In the aftermath of a beatdown punctuated by Brad Childress amusing himself with an unnecessary call for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, it seems odd to say that the Cowboys were ever in the game. But Dallas actually had a shot to grab the momentum in the first quarter. As he'd done during the Cowboys' four-game winning streak, quarterback Tony Romo led the offense into Vikings territory on the first possession of the game. The Cowboys' plan all week was to treat that opening possession as if it were the most important drive in the game.

The strategy worked until Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards raced past right tackle Marc Colombo and stripped the ball from Romo. The Vikings recovered at their 35-yard line and averted an early Cowboys score. After forcing a three-and-out, the Cowboys moved to the Vikings' 30-yard line and elected to attempt a 48-yard field goal instead of going for it on fourth-and-1. Shaun Suisham, who replaced the wayward Nick Folk last month, smothered the ball wide left and it would be fair to say the Cowboys never posed another serious challenge.

"Obviously, we need to get points out of those drives," said Romo. "It's not on any one person but we all need to play better. When you go into a place like this, points matter."

What Romo is saying is the Cowboys missed a huge opportunity to limit the home crowd's influence early in the game. I think the Metrodome is louder than the Superdome, a place where the Cowboys had one of their biggest wins of the season. Even the PA announcer sounded as if he was taunting the Dallas offense as the Vikings' front four took over the game.

In my talking points for Sunday's matchup, someone forgot to tell me that Edwards was one of the best pass-rushers in the league. And to think, I wasted so much time on the Williams Wall and Jared Allen, who didn't have much of an impact until Cowboys left tackle Flozell Adams left the game with a right calf strain with 7:18 left in the first half. On the first two plays after Adams' departure, Allen tackled Felix Jones in the backfield and then caused a Romo fumble, which led to a Vikings field goal and a 17-3 lead. For unknown reasons, tight end Jason Witten ended up "blocking" Allen one-on-one on those two plays. I asked Adams' replacement Doug Free if he was supposed to be helping Witten against Allen, but he said he wasn't sure what happened. It seemed like a pretty good description of how most of his teammates felt following the loss.

The aforementioned Edwards had three sacks, six hurries, a forced fumble and five tackles. I didn't see a lot of No. 91 jerseys inside the Metrodome, but they'll probably be taken off the discount rack this week. Colombo has been the emotional leader of the Cowboys' offensive line since Bill Parcells salvaged his career, but he was physically whipped by the younger, faster Edwards on Sunday. Edwards finished the regular season with 8.5 sacks but he's often in the sizable shadow of Allen.

"He has played at a high level this year, just in terms of production," Childress said of Edwards. "But he showed up and he is always making plays and chasing the football. He's an extra heartbeat guy."

After the game, Childress took the opportunity to beat his chest and talk about the "nonsense" of the Cowboys being the hottest team in the playoffs. Down the road, the Cowboys will be able to look back at '09 as a successful season. They won a playoff game for the first time in 13 years and young players such as Mike Jenkins and Miles Austin have an opportunity to be stars in this league for a long time. Though he hasn't come right out and said it, owner Jerry Jones is going to bring back Wade Phillips for at least one more season. Phillips' defense was one of the best in the league over the past month and there's no need to make significant changes to the unit. I asked Phillips if he considered this a successful season.

"Well, our goal was to win it all and this isn't a success," said Phillips. "I do think we did a lot of great things and I thought winning the division was important and winning the playoff game at home was important. We need to get back to that point again next year."

The defense played well enough to give the Cowboys a chance at a comeback in the third quarter, but Brett Favre simply overwhelmed them in the first half. On his first of three touchdown passes to Sidney Rice, Favre launched a deep ball that was so precise that Cowboys safety Gerald Sensabaugh had no clue the ball had been caught. After the game, inside linebacker Keith Brooking wasn't looking for a silver lining.

"I don't consider this season a success," he told ESPN.com. "We took some steps in the right direction, but I wouldn't call it a successful season. You dive into the NFL season every year and then it comes to an abrupt halt like this. I'll go home tomorrow and ask my wife, 'What the hell do I do now?'"

It's a question a lot of Cowboys fans will be asking as well.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Tempers flared Sunday at the Metrodome after Minnesota’s final touchdown of a 34-3 playoff victory over Dallas. Cowboys linebacker Keith Brooking sprinted toward the Vikings’ sideline, taunting coach Brad Childress and later calling the late score “classless.”

Vikings nose tackle Pat Williams, meanwhile, said Brooking was lucky to escape the Minnesota sideline in one piece.

“We don’t care what Keith Brooking says,” Williams said. “He was about to get his ass whupped on our sideline over there. It don’t matter. Nobody said anything when they blew out the Eagles [the past two weeks]. It’s the playoffs. It ain’t no regular-season game. If you lose, you go home. We take no pity on them. Do they expect us to? I don’t care about no Brooking. He can say whatever he wants to say.”

To recap: Ahead 27-3 late in the fourth quarter, Childress left his starters in the game. The Cowboys gave up the ball on downs at their 37-yard line with 5:26 remaining, and the Vikings threw three passes on their ensuing six-play drive. The final one was an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe on fourth-and-3 with 1:55 remaining.

Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said the Vikings ran up the score. Said Brooking: “I thought it was classless. I thought it was B.S. Granted, we get paid to stop them, but we had zero timeouts left. I didn’t think there was any call for that.”

Told of Brooking’s comments, Shiancoe laughed and said: “OK, we apologize. I’m sorry. Better?”

The Vikings certainly didn’t need that score to win the game, and I stand by what I wrote after the game. But do the Cowboys have a right to be upset? Did they run it up the past two weeks on Philadelphia? Don’t forget that Childress and Eagles coach Andy Reid remain close friends.

Feel free to weigh in both this post and over at SportsNation.