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Interesting roster move down in Tampa Bay today, as the Buccaneers cut 26-year-old safety Tanard Jackson. They said it was because he failed a physical, but indications are that last year's shoulder injury won't keep him from helping someone in 2012. There's a new coach in Tampa Bay, and as Pat Yasinskas suggests in that link, it's possible that Jackson, who comes with plenty of issues, was cut to send a message to other players on the roster. But he's good enough and young enough that he's likely to find a home somewhere, and don't be surprised if you hear the Washington Redskins mentioned as a possible suitor.

The Redskins have major needs in the secondary, even after signing Brandon Meriweather and Cedric Griffin already this offseason. And their new secondary coach, Raheem Morris, was Jackson's head coach in Tampa Bay for the past three seasons. Morris and Jackson had a very strong relationship and Morris believes in him and has stood by him through his drug suspension. Surely, Morris believes he could keep Jackson in line and coach productivity out of him should the Redskins decide to give him a chance.

It's no slam dunk, though. Mike Shanahan has preached the value of character on his roster, and if he's got concerns about off-field issues or work ethic, he's not likely to bring in Jackson just because Morris likes the guy. It's Shanahan's team, not Morris' team, after all. But a drug suspension doesn't always equate to low character. It can, in certain circumstances, equate merely to immaturity or poor judgment. The 2012 Redskins will count, after all, on major contributions from Trent Williams and Fred Davis, each of whom missed the final four games of 2011 due to drug suspensions. Shanahan doesn't question their character -- merely their judgment. If he's convinced Jackson can help the team and won't hurt the locker room, he could pursue him. And it's a fair bet that Morris will at least try to convince him.

He has surely had more spectacular games in his career, but if you're a fan of the Dallas Cowboys the game Tony Romo played Saturday night was an absolute thing of beauty. Romo was 23-for-30 for 249 yards, three passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in a nearly uncontested 31-15 victory over a dead Tampa Bay Buccaneers team. He was efficient. He was in control. He was ruthless and reliable and made sure that the Cowboys put one of their easiest wins of the season in their pocket when they needed a win in the worst way.

The Cowboys move to 8-6, temporarily a half-game in front of New York pending the Giants' game Sunday afternoon. If the Giants win, Dallas will have done little Saturday night but hold serve. The victory doesn't dramatically help their playoff chances, but a loss would have damaged them severely. Romo deserves credit for making sure it was never a reasonable possibility.

He wasn't perfect, of course. No one is. The fumble on the first possession of the second half was careless. And I didn't think he made the wisest choice on his first touchdown throw to Miles Austin in traffic at the goal line. But Austin caught the ball for a touchdown, which made the throw look great. And Romo responded to the fumble by engineering a 12-play, seven-minute field-goal drive that denied the Bucs any shot at momentum.

Sure, Felix Jones had 108 rushing yards. But the Cowboys played ball-control all game, even when they were throwing it. Romo took no irresponsible shots downfield. He played completely under control. He took sacks when he should have, and he did a great job of extending plays with his feet until receivers got open. He completed passes to seven different targets, with no one making more than five catches and no receiver gaining more than Jason Witten's 77 yards. It was a clinic in levelheaded quarterback play, and while a Tampa Bay team that has now lost eight in a row might not have been much of a challenge, Romo's been playing like this against everyone lately. He has thrown 18 touchdown passes and two interceptions in his past seven games, and the Cowboys are 5-2 in those games.

Talk that coach Jason Garrett and the Cowboys don't trust Romo is ridiculous. Watching Romo on Saturday night, you saw a guy who was in complete control of his offense. A guy who was picking among fantastic targets and had the confidence and competence to find the right one. Heck, all three of his touchdown passes came from inside the 10-yard line. You don't keep throwing the ball from the 8 and 9 if you don't trust your quarterback.

Romo's reputation is a tough one to shake, but he's done nothing wrong in the second half of this season. He is not the reason Dallas lost to Arizona and New York in the two games before this one. And as the Cowboys look ahead to their final two games of the season, knowing they win the division if they can win them both, they do so with a great deal of well-deserved confidence in their starting quarterback.

Some more observations from the Cowboys' Saturday night victory:

• Jones looks great running the ball, and maybe more importantly Sammy Morris looks like a guy who can reasonably spell Jones and keep the Cowboys from having to overwork him during the next couple of weeks. We'll see how they perform against a defense that doesn't allow 5 yards per carry, but the signs from the run game were encouraging for the Cowboys.
• I thought the defense was encouraging too, at least while DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff were in there. The unit pressured Josh Freeman and were able to run a lot of those moving, confusing fronts to rattle the Bucs' offense into mistakes. And I had no problem with Garrett holding Ware and Ratliff out in the second half to rest them and decrease the risk of further injury. That game was over at halftime, no matter how scared Cowboys' fans were about their team's second-half issues. And if it had become legitimately close, they could always have put Ware and Ratliff back in, right? I think the Cowboys managed that situation intelligently.
• The difference between this game and the Detroit game (other than the vast differences between Detroit's offense and Tampa Bay's) was that, when Romo made the costly turnover right after halftime to give the other team points, he didn't make another. Sounds simple, but it's important. The way you recover from your mistakes says much more about you than whether or not you make one.
• The sight of right tackle Tyron Smith on the ground at the end of the game had to be upsetting for Cowboys fans. He walked off on his own power and seemed fine, but Smith would be a devastating loss for an already-shaky line on which he's been far and away the best player. Smith has played tackle at an elite level this year, and would be irreplaceable.
• Next up for Dallas is a crucial home game next Saturday against the Eagles, who beat them 34-7 in Philadelphia in Week 8.

As you get ready for Saturday night's game against the Buccaneers in Tampa, here's one reason for Dallas Cowboys fans to feel good and one reason for concern:

Feeling good: If ever there was a good game in which to re-establish the ground game with Felix Jones as the lead back in place of the injured DeMarco Murray, this is the one for Dallas. The Bucs allow 4.6 yards per rush attempt and 139.7 rush yards per game, making them one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. Dallas would do well to commit to the run early and get Jones into a rhythm. They won't be able to use him the same heavy way they used Murray, and they will have to throw more the rest of the way. But they should be able to make themselves multidimensional on offense against a Tampa Bay team that's lost seven games in a row.

Cause for concern: Tampa Bay is pretty good at protecting the passer, having only allowed 24 sacks this year. The Cowboys were unable to get a sack last week against Eli Manning and the Giants, and they're surely planning to run some creative blitzes against the Buccaneers to try to rattle quarterback Josh Freeman. If they can't get to Freeman -- especially on the blitz -- they're going to leave themselves exposed in the secondary, where they've had some real problems over the past month.

So, when you guys helped convince me to watch the Washington Redskins' game live and the other three on delay, you neglected to tell me the Redskins' game would be the longest one by a half-hour. Sheesh.

Aaaaanyway, this was clearly not John Beck's best work. The Redskins' 29-24 exhibition victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their final game of the 2011 NFL preseason was the worst of the three preseason performances Beck has turned in during his audition to be the Redskins' starting quarterback. He looked much better in each of the previous two games than he did Thursday night, when he was 10-for-21 for 108 yards and an interception.

The question, of course, is what it all means.

Certainly, if Beck's chances of being the starter were riding on his performance in this game, he didn't help himself. But I don't think he necessarily had to play well Thursday in order to win the job. As we have discussed many times on this blog, the competition between Beck and Rex Grossman is not as simple as a straight-up contest based on preseason performance. Mike Shanahan and Kyle Shanahan do not view Beck and Grossman as equal quantities. They like Grossman and feel certain he can operate their offense. But they believe Beck offers more upside, and they wanted to use the preseason to help them gauge how he would handle the pressure of his opportunity.

Beck surely did that in the Redskins' second and third preseason games (after missing the first with a groin injury). And he showed a couple of things Thursday night, too. There was the 2nd-and-9 play where he dodged pressure up the middle and completed the pass for a first down. He hit a big third-down completion to Donte' Stallworth while taking a hit. He showed his obviously quick release and made a couple of smart decisions, including not throwing to Stallworth a couple of plays later when he saw that Stallworth was in double coverage.

But he also did some bad things, including a couple of bad-decision throws into crowds and the interception in the end zone. He looked as though he could have had a touchdown pass to Niles Paul, but he threw the ball to Paul's back shoulder while Paul was going up expecting the throw to be high. Not sure whose fault that was, but it didn't look good.

Now, Beck did play behind the Redskins' starting offensive line. But he didn't have starting wide receivers Santana Moss or Jabar Gaffney, who got the night off. And he had rookie running back Evan Royster, who's not the same factor in the passing game (as a blocker or receiver) as Tim Hightower is. It's hard for me to believe the Redskins' coaches would have sent Beck out there thinking he had to play well in this game to get the job and then not give him Moss or Gaffney to throw to.

Some time in the next nine days, Mike Shananan will name his starting quarterback for the Sept. 11 season opener against the Giants. I still believe, based on the conversations I had when I was at Redskins training camp and what I've seen in the preseason, that it'll be Beck because it's been Beck all along. But if it's not Beck, I don't think he lost the job Thursday night. And I seriously doubt it means he won't be the starter at any point (or even for the majority of the games) in 2011.

Some other observations from the Redskins' final preseason game:

1. Ryan Torain is a good running back. Hightower is sure to open the season as the Redskins' starting running back. But Torain, who missed the bulk of this preseason with a broken hand, will remain a threat to steal carries and maybe the job itself. Torain entered the game late in the first half after Royster started the game, and he ran with obvious power. Torain's issues have been health-related, and if he stays healthy and continues to show something in limited action, don't be surprised to see him get a turn as the starter at some point this season.

2. Josh Wilson got an interception on a nice leaping catch, and it had to feel good. Wilson was brought in to be a starting cornerback, but he's had injury issues this preseason and hasn't looked great when he's been in there. As good as the Redskins' defense has looked overall, Wilson must have enjoyed being a productive part of it going into the season. Still think the secondary as a whole will improve once the starting safeties are in there.

3. Oh yeah, Brandon Banks. After an injury-plagued preseason of his own, Banks got into Thursday's game and showed what he can do on returns, running one back 95 yards for a touchdown. He's so fast and such a sharp runner when he's got a head of steam, and as he crossed the goal line you couldn't help thinking, "Yeah, that gets the guy on the team." Then you saw the replays they were reviewing and that Banks hot-dogged it across the goal line and very nearly dropped the ball before crossing that goal line because of his hot-dogging. And even though the call wasn't overturned and he did get credited with the touchdown, you couldn't help thinking, "Yeah, that's why there's a chance a guy with that kind of speed and talent might not make the team." Good lesson for Banks. Would have been a better one if they'd taken away his touchdown.

4. Second-team defense. Guys like Keyaron Fox and Rob Jackson looked very fired-up and very effective, making you think the Redskins have some interesting depth on defense. But then you remember they're playing against backups on the Tampa Bay defense and that there's no way to know what you're really watching in preseason, and we'll just leave it at that.

The Redskins had a nice preseason. Stallworth's fingertip catch for the touchdown that sealed this meaningless win was a fun way to end it. The way they played this month should help their confidence. No idea if it means they'll have a good regular season. Right now they need to be thinking about how to beat the Giants. And yeah, settling on a quarterback.

	Howard Smith/US Presswire
	Philadelphia QB Donovan McNabb came back strong from a rib injury Sunday, leading the Eagles to a 33-14 win over Tampa Bay.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

PHILADELPHIA -- Lost in Andy Reid's pursuit of Wildcat lore is the fact that he has one of the best quarterbacks in the league on his roster. On Sunday at the Linc, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb reminded everyone how nice it is to have a primary quarterback who can dominate a game in a 33-14 victory over the winless Bucs.

Week 5 Coverage " Mosley: McNabb strong in return " Walker: Bengals win one for 'Coach Zim' " Williamson: Orton proves doubters wrong " Graham: Bills continue downward spiral " Kuharsky: Anatomy of a blowout " Seifert: Leaps and bounds for Favre " Yasinskas: White back to old form " Sando: NFC West more balanced " Wojciechowski: Broncos are mile-high " Clayton: Bengals surprise leaders " Pasquarelli: The Raiders' downward spiral " NFL Nation: Reactions | Wrap-ups | Live " Monday Night Football HQ

Playing with a protective vest for his injured rib, McNabb completed 16-of-21 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns. It was hard for Reid to revel in his Wildcat genius -- the Eagles call it the Spread Eagle -- because rookie wide receiver Jeremy Maclin kept getting open on deep balls from McNabb.

It was 21-7 at halftime -- and the Eagles had the ball for only 8 minutes, 53 seconds. (It was one of those rare times when winning the time-of-possession battle meant absolutely nothing.) Vick is supposed to strike fear into the hearts of defenses because of his dual-threat abilities. But he was nothing more than a sideshow Sunday.

On the Eagles' first play from scrimmage, McNabb scrambled for 13 yards. He turned the corner and then won a race to the sideline. It was an immediate sign that he was planning to use all of his tools -- and that forced Reid to keep his toys off the field.

"I saw him run the football, and I wasn't sure that would be quite as much of his game today as it was early," Reid said in his typical deadpan. "He did a nice job with it and was smart getting out of bounds."

When the Bucs briefly made it a game late in the first half, McNabb responded with a 17-yard scramble and a 40-yard touchdown pass to Maclin. Every time a Bucs defender made contact with McNabb, which wasn't often, the crowd held its breath. But the quarterback popped up quickly every time.

"I felt pretty good," McNabb said in response to a question about his fractured rib. "In this whole process, it's going to take time. I was able to move around and be very effective in a lot of different things we were doing, pick up some first downs with my legs, so it's always good to do different things like that."

Reid called six plays out of the Wildcat formation -- and they yielded 16 yards. Vick continues to deliver some of the cleanest handoffs in the league, but we're still waiting to see him throw the ball downfield from the formation. Vick had X-rays taken on his ribs after the game. He said they came back negative, but it was obvious he was in some pain.

Vick didn't seem overly concerned about his limited role in the offense.

"There's no need to come in and interrupt the offense when it's going like that," Vick said. "I felt like Donovan was going strong in the first half, so I understand not wanting to force anything."

Vick saw time as a conventional quarterback in the final five minutes and it's obvious that's the role he wants in the future, although I doubt it will be with the Eagles. Vick completed a short pass to DeSean Jackson and followed it up with a wild throw to the sideline. On third-and-9, he scrambled for 11 yards and finished with a headfirst slide that probably caused Reid to cringe.

But this game belonged to McNabb. On the 31 plays he participated in, the Eagles had 295 yards. On the 17 other plays, the Eagles managed 30 yards. Of course, the Eagles will continue to say they haven't shown us all their wrinkles. Their three wins have come against teams that have combined for a 1-13 record. It's pretty much impossible to draw any meaningful conclusions about this team -- other than the fact that their conventional offense seems to be in pretty good shape. Even Reid would admit that his sacred Wildcat left a little to be desired Sunday.

Some more postgame nuggets:

Eagles tight end Brent Celek may have had the most memorable play of the game: Midway through the second quarter, McNabb found Celek racing down the left sideline for a 38-yard completion. Celek, who finished with four catches for 58 yards, hurdled an unsuspecting Ronde Barber and kept running. It was an incredibly athletic play for the 6-foot-4, 255-pound Celek, but he's not sure at this point whether it will become his signature move.

"I know that most defensive backs are going to go low when they tackle you," Celek told me. "So I just decided to go over him. He came up to me after the game and complimented me."

Celek also wanted to know how many catches Cowboys tight end Jason Witten had. He's watched a lot of film of Witten and he loves measuring himself against the Pro Bowl tight end.

I'm afraid that Kevin Curtis has lost his starting job: Rookie Jeremy Maclin had six catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns. He told me after the game that he forgot to keep the football after his first NFL touchdown, but he didn't seem too concerned. He was filling in for starter Kevin Curtis (knee), but there's no way Reid can take him out of the lineup at this point.

"You just have to make the best of your opportunity," Maclin said. "It's unfortunate that Kevin got hurt, but it was fortunate for me to be there and step into that role. When he does get back healthy, he is going to be a guy who is going to help us. We are just going to let the coaches decide what is going to go on."

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Giants defensive end Justin Tuck was so convinced he wouldn't play against the Buccaneers that he left his cleats at home. But at some point Saturday, all his lobbying to the coaches finally paid off and he was activated for the game.

With safety Kenny Phillips out for the season with a knee injury, the Giants needed some good news Sunday. Tuck, who's become a powerful voice in the locker room, gave the team a spark even though he didn't show up on the stat sheet. He said his left shoulder held up pretty well Sunday and that he should have a lot more confidence heading into next weekend.

"Hey, I made it. That’s all that matters right now,” Tuck told reporters after the Giants' 24-0 win over the Bucs. “I know I’ll be a little sore (Sunday) night, but we’ll deal with that next week. ... It felt good. It really did. It’s not where I wanted to be right now, but I got through and my confidence level will be even that much higher coming into next week, hopefully.”

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Giants defensive end Justin Tuck (shoulder) missed practice Wednesday, but he's not ruling himself out for Sunday's game against the Bucs. My gut's telling me that Tuck will miss the game, but he certainly hasn't told me that.

But while everyone focused on Tuck's injury Wednesday, word spread that wide receiver Mario Manningham was limited in practice because of a shoulder injury. Manningham didn't say anything about the injury during the open locker room session Wednesday.

With Domenik Hixon (knee) and Hakeem Nicks (foot) already fighting through injuries, the Giants can't afford to get someone else hurt. Late in Sunday's game, Derek Hagan became the team's third receiver. If Manningham and Hixon were forced to miss Sunday's game, the Giants would probably start Steve Smith and Hagan. Sinorice Moss and Ramses Barden would join the rotation.

Can the Giants beat the Bucs with that group of wide receivers? Absolutely. Smith has been borderline brilliant through two games and Hagan made a big-time catch on the final drive against the Cowboys. I even think Moss is capable of making some big plays downfield.

If you're ever going to try and get ahead of some injuries, this would be the perfect week. Tom Coughlin would never come out and admit something like that, but it wouldn't surprise me if the Giants rested some starters against an inferior team.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

I think most of us agree that the Cowboys have more talent (and experience) than the Bucs. But it's still worth taking a look at some of the key matchups.

I actually think the Cowboys could have trouble with the Bucs' two tight ends. But eventually DeMarcus Ware is going to get to Byron Leftwich -- and more than once or twice.

In his key matchups breakdown, Dallas Morning News blogger Tim MacMahon calls Aqib Talib and Ronde Barber an "outstanding" cornerback tandem. Really?

That's not exactly how I would describe Barber at this stage of his career. And Talib still has a lot to prove. I think Talib and Barber comprise a pretty mediocre cornerback tandem at this point.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Cowboys inside linebacker Bradie James and Bucs inside linebacker Barrett Ruud both had solid seasons in '08, but neither player was invited to the Pro Bowl. I think that might change for both of them following the '09 season. Recently, a frequent contributor to this blog, Bill Barnwell of Football Outsiders fame, sat down to discuss Ruud and James with DallasNews.com's Tim MacMahon. Ruud and James will be on the same field Sunday when the Bucs and Cowboys square off in Tampa. Here's a portion of what Barnwell told MacMahon about the two linebackers.

James

Ruud

McMahon: There is a faction of Dallas media that believes Bradie James should have been a Pro Bowler last season. Tampa Bay's Barrett Ruud also didn't get an invitation to Hawaii. Which inside linebacker had the better year?

Barnwell: You should put that faction of the Dallas media in a room with the clip of Lorenzo Neal laying James out from the Ravens game last year playing over and over again until they change their mind. We can't strictly compare Ruud to James statistically because their roles are different. Ruud is the middle linebacker in a 4-3, so he's going to make more plays than James would as one of the inside linebackers in a 3-4. Even so, it's hard to argue that James was on the same level as Ruud, who made 18.6 percent of his team's plays -- more than any other linebacker in the league. Those plays weren't very close to the line of scrimmage, which is usually thanks to poor performance up front. His charting numbers in pass coverage were also very good.

James ranked 18th in the league in plays, which isn't bad at all, but he also made his plays way off the line of scrimmage (3.9 yards away, tied for 74th in the league, and right around Ruud's level) and had poor numbers in pass coverage. Having an ambulatory linebacker next to him would have helped, but he might have to wait until 2010 for that. So, by our statistics, Ruud was way better in coverage and made more plays. James talks more. Good player, that Bradie James, but just because everyone else on the Cowboys' roster made the Pro Bowl in 2007 doesn't mean James should get to go, too.

Mosley: I watched Ruud a lot in college, but haven't been able to study his game in the pros. I think James has become a much better pass-rusher, which gives Wade Phillips another option. It's difficult to compare them straight up because they play in different schemes, but they're both Pro Bowl-caliber players in my book. And though he's taken a lot of heat, James is a standup guy in the locker room. Something to be said for that.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

As reported by ESPN.com's John Clayton on Monday, Giants running back Derrick Ward has agreed to terms on a four-year, $17 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Here's what NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas had to say about the deal.

The Giants had been preparing for this day for a long time, so it came as no surprise. They weren't going to pay Ward $4 million per year -- or even $3 million. And he wanted a chance to start. That will happen in Tampa Bay.

We'll soon know whether Wind (Ward) can be successful without Earth (Brandon Jacobs). I think Ward's a nice back, but he benefited greatly from Jacobs wearing down defenses. Can Ward be a 25-carry guy? Honestly, I don't think that would be a good situation for him. If the Bucs keep him somewhere in the 15-18 carry range, I think he'll be more effective.

Ward should be a nice complement to Earnest Graham. I didn't like his chances going to a team where he had to carry the load, but Ward should fit in nicely with the Bucs. The Giants will simply bump up Fire (Ahmad Bradshaw) to No. 2 in the rotation. He's a dynamic back who wasn't given a lot of opportunities last season. I think Tom Coughlin is excited about seeing what Bradshaw can do in a larger role.

Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News provides some excellent details regarding Ward's recruitment. He apparently scared off some potential suitors by asking for a deal similar to what Jacobs received. And Vacchiano said Ward also brought up Michael Turner's contract with the Falcons.

Tom Rock of Newsday explains that Danny Ware will replace Bradshaw as the No. 3 running back.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

The Eagles-Cowboys game Sunday was moved from 1 p.m. ET to 4:15 p.m. ET earlier today. It was a tough break for Andy Reid and the Eagles. Before their game begins, the Eagles will know whether the Raiders were able to knock off Tampa Bay.

Unless the Raiders can pull off the upset, the Eagles will only be playing for pride. We saw how they played against the Redskins when something was actually on the line. I realize how much the Eagles hate the Cowboys, but that's a tough emotional leap to make just before the game.

The Cowboys would never admit it, but they think they caught a huge break with the game being moved back. Asked if he'd rather not know the outcome of the game, Reid said, "Yeah, but that's probably not realistic in this day-in-age of technology. I said this before, you can't worry about all the different things that you can't control. You just have to go play, that's the important thing."

	Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
	Donovan McNabb and the Eagles have won three straight.

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker

PHILADELPHIA -- Tease or contender?

Playoff bound or delaying the inevitable?

These questions still remain unanswered following the Philadelphia Eagles' easy 30-10 romp over the Cleveland Browns on "Monday Night Football." The Eagles (8-5-1) are playing their best football of the season, outscoring their last three opponents 98-44, but they remain on the outside of the NFC playoff race.

Over the past four years, the postseason has begun in December for the Eagles. This has been both a blessing and a curse during the Andy Reid-Donovan McNabb era in Philadelphia.

For whatever reason, the Eagles in recent seasons have slumped at midseason but found a way to finish strong. Sometimes it leads to a postseason berth. Other times, such as last season, the team falls short.

Philadelphia is trying desperately to avoid back-to-back non-playoff seasons for the first time under Reid. In addition to Monday's win over Cleveland, the Eagles will need to sweep a pair of NFC East rivals -- the Washington Redskins (7-7) and Dallas Cowboys (9-5) -- to have a chance.

"The players understand what's at stake," Reid said of the final two weeks. "You saw that by their effort tonight. They played a very aggressive game on both sides of the ball and special teams."

But don't read too much into Monday's victory.

Cleveland, losers of four straight, was the perfect prey for the surging Eagles. The Browns (4-10) have a coach in the hot seat, two injured quarterbacks, and they haven't scored an offensive touchdown since Nov. 17.

The Eagles were sloppy at times with three turnovers. But Philadelphia took care of business by jumping out to a 17-3 lead and never looked back. The 20-point win could have been more lopsided had the Eagles not thrown two interceptions in the end zone and pulled their starters early in the fourth quarter.

"Our guys tried," Browns head coach Romeo Crennel said. "But I don't think we have enough ammunition to match up with them."

The Eagles have been among the most schizophrenic teams in the NFL this season. The same team that blew out the Arizona Cardinals by four touchdowns on Thanksgiving lost to the Baltimore Ravens by 29 points and benched McNabb five days prior.

Now McNabb is back. He looks far removed from the lowest point of his career and put up another stellar game Monday, completing 26 of 35 passes for 290 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and a 105.7 passer rating.

"He's playing like he does," Reid said. "This is what Donovan McNabb is all about."

McNabb and the Eagles need to maintain this level of play. McNabb is once again playing confident football and the vintage smile is back on the face of the veteran quarterback.

"I'm always happy. I'm happy to be out here just playing football and that's the most important thing," McNabb said. "That's something I told myself no matter what situation I'm in, I'm going to have a ball out here and the people around me are going to enjoy it, too."

The Eagles will need to upend two teams that beat them earlier in the year in Washington and Dallas. Philadelphia believes it's a different team now, but a pair of wins still could leave the team sitting at home.

The Eagles also need help in the form of a loss by either the Atlanta Falcons (9-5) or Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5) in the final two weeks.

But this is usually the type of situation that brings the best out of the Eagles. Whether it works this year or it's too late remains to be seen.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

TAMPA, Fla. -- Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Bryant just echoed the sentiments of many NFC South fans, who've been saying the division gets slighted by the national media in favor of the NFC East.

"It's sickening because they look for any little thing," said Bryant, who previously played for the Dallas Cowboys. "For instance, they look for the Pacman [Jones] situation and everything with that. They try to find positives with things and negatives with things and look for anything and nitpick about it when you've got Tampa Bay over here second in the NFC and nobody's really acknowledging that."

But Bryant said that's not necessarily a bad thing.

"It's cool," Bryant said. "As the season goes along, more and more teams begin to be eliminated and their opportunity to further along their season dwindles, then we're going to have to deal with some type of attention, so all we can do is play hard, play football and continue to find ways to win games."

Note from Mosley: If Bryant hadn't thrown a sweaty jersey onto Bill Parcells' head a few years ago, he could've remained part of the Cowboys circus. And don't you just feel awful for guys like Bryant who have to play in divisions that don't receive a great deal of national attention? If not for Yasinskas, we wouldn't even realize that the Bucs were 9-3 and fighting for a division crown.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

News that three New Orleans Saints would be suspended for using a diuretic could hurt the NFC Beast in its attempt to place more than one team in the playoffs.

The Saints (6-6) will lose Charles Grant, Will Smith and Deuce McAllister for the final four games of the regular season. The Cowboys, Redskins and Eagles were hoping for some help from the Saints, who host both the Falcons (8-4) and Panthers (9-3) in the final four games.

The Falcons hold the tiebreaker over the Cowboys (8-4) at this point because of a better conference record. The Saints were in position to get themselves back in the playoff race with a win over Tampa Bay (9-3), but they couldn't pull off the upset Sunday.

McAllister's impact is minimal at this point in his career and Grant is already on injured reserve with a triceps injury. But the loss of Smith certainly hurts their chances of running the table to finish the season. The NFC East teams have to be wondering whether the Saints will keep bringing it every week now that they're virtually out of the playoff race and have lost three players.

This might be a good time for Jerry Jones to leave an encouraging voicemail on his former assistant Sean Payton's voicemail. If the Giants are the only NFC East team to make the playoffs, remember the day this suspensions came down.

IRVING, Texas -- We've just kicked off at Texas Stadium, where it's a gorgeous 70 degrees. Cowboys will have the ball first. From everything I've heard at Valley Ranch this week, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett has added a lot of max-protection packages in an effort to give quarterback Brad Johnson more time in the pocket.

On the first possession, Johnson threw a weak pass over the middle to Marion Barber that was broken up. The next two plays weren't any better. The only highlight for the Cowboys was a perfect-form tackle by punter Sam Paulescu. Former Cowboys wide receiver Antonio Bryant is putting on a show for the Bucs.

Tampa Bay finishes the drive with a 36-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead. One thing you should keep your eyes on is the chess match between Johnson and longtime Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin. They know each other really well. Kiffin does a tremendous job of disguising blitz packages, and he won't take it easy on the immobile Johnson.