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Eagles running back LeSean McCoy fumbled early in the fourth quarter, but he got a chance to atone for it by running for the game-winning touchdown. McCoy fell victim to one of Charles Tillman's three forced fumbles on the evening after a 17-yard run. But the Eagles blocked Robbie Gould's 48-yard field goal attempt and immediately drove for the winning score.

The game ended with Sean Jones intercepting a Jay Cutler pass. Tracy White caused the interception by reading Cutler's eyes and tipping a ball intended for Bears tight end Greg Olsen. It was a huge win for the Eagles (6-4) because it keeps them tied for second place in the NFC East with the Giants, one game behind the Cowboys.

Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was 23-of-32 for 244 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. DeSean Jackson had eight catches for 107 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown in the second half. Jackson ran a simple post pattern and used his speed to race past a Bears safety.

With Asante Samuel having to leave the game with a stinger, the Eagles were seriously compromised at cornerback. But the Bears couldn't capitalize. In the fourth quarter, Bears receiver Johnny Knox got behind Sheldon Brown on a fly pattern but Cutler overthrew him.

The Eagles featured a balanced attack on offense with 30 running plays and 32 passes. Given a full week of first-string reps, McCoy had 20 carries for 99 yards and a touchdown. He ran through tackles and he also showed good vision. Jackson and rookie Jeremy Maclin both got it rolling in the second half. Last week, the Eagles' offense waited too late to get going. On Sunday night, the offense showed up just in time. There aren't many players who can stay with Jackson and Maclin, so the Eagles need to find ways to get them involved earlier.

The Eagles need to learn from this game. Jackson and McCoy need to secure the ball -- especially against defensive backs such as Tillman, who's known for stripping the ball. I thought the defense did a good job of staying in Cutler's face. Trent Cole had a sack and he also did a nice job of pursuing plays from behind.

I had sort of forgotten about Jeremiah Trotter, but he did a really nice job against the run, ending up with four tackles. He looked a lot more comfortable in this game. Now the Eagles will host the Redskins before playing the Falcons and Giants.

There's a chance the Eagles and Giants could be 8-4 when they see each other in three weeks. The NFC East lead could be on the line. But first, the Eagles have to take care of business against the Redskins. The Cowboys were outplayed by Washington on Sunday but escaped with a 7-6 win.

I thought safety Quintin Mikell and Brown both had courageous performances. Mikell was in one-on-one coverage more than usual because of all the injuries in the secondary and it was obvious that Brown wasn't himself because of a hamstring injury. Fortunately for the Eagles, Cutler missed wide-open receivers on at least three occasions.

Chicago’s midseason hiccup, along with quarterback Jay Cutler's continuing backslide, has just about ended the competitive portion of the Bears' season.

Sunday night's loss was their third in a row and fifth in their past six games. They’ve fallen to 4-6 after a 3-1 start, their only victory during that stretch coming against 1-9 Cleveland, and stand on the far outskirts of the NFC playoff picture.

Worse, Cutler played what I can only call a self-conscious game in his first appearance since a five-interception performance at San Francisco. He overthrew three passes that would have gone for touchdowns -- one each to Greg Olsen, Johnny Knox and Devin Hester -- and finished with only 171 yards passing despite completing 24 of his 43 attempts.

Cutler telegraphed his only interception of the night, a pass he forced to Olsen on the Bears’ final drive. Overall, he seemed too tentative in response to an overly aggressive stretch of games.

You can only assume that Cutler will eventually work through these issues, but it isn’t likely to come in time to save this season for the Bears.

DENVER -- The San Diego Chargers were in control before the game even started Sunday against the desperate but still cocksure Denver Broncos.

As they did a month ago in San Diego, the Broncos huddled near where the Chargers were warming up. Some Denver players were facing the Chargers and pointing. It appeared as though no San Diego player even noticed the Broncos’ bait job. The Chargers were far more interested in stretching their muscles than their tongues.

On Oct.19, the Chargers were incensed when Denver pulled the same trick on their home field. A shoving match ensued before the Broncos went on to beat the Chargers and take a commanding 3.5-game lead over San Diego in the AFC West.

A lot has changed since then.

“That stuff wasn’t going to work this time,” said San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman, who was said Denver’s display last month was disrespectful. “We weren’t interested in any of that stuff [Sunday]. We were interested in winning the football game.”

Denver coach Josh McDaniels also got involved in the pregame chatter. He exchanged trash talk (which he told the San Diego Union Tribune that Chargers players started) with some San Diego linebackers. After the game, Chargers linebacker Shaun Phillips called McDaniels “a little cocky [rear end].”

The Broncos had nothing Sunday -- not even effective pregame bravado.

The Chargers completed an amazing month in the division by plastering the Broncos 32-3 on their home field. Denver was completely outclassed by the Chargers, who appear to be the team they were expected to be in the preseason.

“We had it working today,” San Diego safety Eric Weddle said. “We knew what we were playing for.”

The Chargers were playing for power in the AFC West. And they got it. San Diego is 7-3 and leads Denver (6-4) by a game with six to go. The Chargers have an easier schedule down the stretch than the stumbling Broncos, who have to regroup and play host to the New York Giants on Thursday night. San Diego, which is in the hunt to earn a playoff bye, has two games remaining against teams with winning records.

The Chargers are poised to win their fourth straight division title. If they do, it will be the third straight year in which they came from behind to do so. San Diego started 5-5 in 2007 before winning its final six games. Last year, the Chargers became the first team to start 4-8 and make the playoffs as they won their final four games and Denver lost its final three games.

“Same old Chargers,” Weddle said.”This year, we’re starting early.”

The Broncos joined the 2003 Vikings as teams that won their first six games and then lost their next four games. The Vikings finished 9-7 and out of the playoffs that year. No NFL team has ever had a 3.5-game division lead and not made the playoffs.

In no way do the Broncos resemble the team of the first six weeks. The Broncos, who were given a spark by an injured Kyle Orton in the second quarter, were careless on offense (they lost two fumbles in San Diego territory, one coming in the end zone) and are worn down on defense. Denver had no pass rush against the Chargers and was riddled again on the ground as San Diego had 203 yards rushing.

“The plays that we were making when we were 6-0 we are no longer making,” Denver defensive end Vonnie Holliday said. “We have to regroup.”

The Chargers entered the game knowing they had the Broncos where they wanted them.

“We knew if we played the way we are capable, that we’re a better football team,” Weddle said. “We showed them that today.”

From the pregame warm-ups forward.

Rivers light up Denver again: After the loss last month, San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers was back to his dominant self against the Broncos. He has won six of his last eight meetings against Denver.

According to ESPN Stats and Information, Rivers has completed at least 60 percent of his pass attempts against Denver in the past eight games. In his past six games against Denver, Rivers has 12 touchdown passes and one interception.

Rivers was a tidy 17-of-22 for 145 yards against Denver. He had one touchdown pass and no interceptions. He made every play he needed to as the Chargers cruised after taking a 13-0 lead at the half. Rivers completed 13-of-14 passes in the first half.

Orton shows toughness: The question, privately, in the San Diego locker room was why Denver didn’t start Orton. He didn’t start because of a badly sprained ankle. But after backup Chris Simms -- who played poorly in the second half at Washington last week in a loss that may haunt Denver -- was ineffective, Orton was put in with the Broncos down 13-0.

He completed his first three passes and led Denver to the goal line, where rookie running back Knowshon Moreno lost a fumble in the end zone. Had Denver scored there, it would have had all the momentum.

Orton finished the game and was 15-of-29 for 171 yards. The Broncos hope he can play against the Giants.

McDaniels said Orton didn’t start because Simms had all the practice reps last week and Orton wasn’t fully healthy.

“Give Orton credit,” Weddle said. “He showed a lot of toughness and he played pretty well.”

Broncos squabble on the sideline: Denver receiver Brandon Marshall got into Moreno’s face after his fumble at the goal line. Moreno, a rookie, responded by shoving the four-year veteran. Moreno tried to go after Marshall on the sideline and had to be restrained by teammates.

“It was frustrating,” Marshall said. “Those are plays that kind of kill drives and we need to punch it in next time.”

McDaniels downplayed the altercation.

“We’ve got a lot of emotional players on our team,” McDaniels said. “Obviously, we don’t want it make scenes or problems for ourselves on the sideline. There are a lot of things that happen on the sideline that involve emotion.”

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New York Jets squeezed tears out of their coach, but they couldn't squeeze production out of their rookie quarterback.

A quick scan of the box score will suggest the reason the New England Patriots won Sunday was Wes Welker's sublime performance. Maybe your eye will pick up Tom Brady's numbers, or the gargantuan discrepancy in first downs, total yards or time of possession.

But the problem that doomed the Jets, what eliminated any chance they had of winning in Gillette Stadium, sweeping the season series and keeping their playoff hopes from flatlining was Mark Sanchez.

What a donkey performance Sanchez turned in. He threw four interceptions. He committed three turnovers -- two picks and a fumble -- in the fourth quarter alone.

The Patriots converted Sanchez's giveaways into two touchdowns and a field goal. They won 31-14.

Patriots cornerback Leigh Bodden intercepted Sanchez three times, returning the first one 53 yards for a touchdown about nine minutes into the game. The play cast a pall over the rest of the game, and aside from a brief stretch in the third quarter where Sanchez appeared to collect himself, the Jets had no legitimate shot.

"They scored 17 points off of four turnovers by the quarterback, and that's how we lose," Sanchez said.

The Jets are 4-6, three games behind the Patriots and one game better than the last-place Buffalo Bills in the AFC East.

The tone surrounding the Jets' season has gone from inspiring to depressing, and their quarterback's performances have been corollary. He played like a veteran in the first few games yet has seemingly regressed.

After the game, Sanchez could be heard softly singing a song to himself as he buttoned up his dress shirt at his locker stall.

And maybe Jets coach Rex Ryan was whistling in the graveyard when he insisted he won't consider inserting veteran backup Kellen Clemens to give the rookie a break from what has turned into an unremitting series of disheartening displays.

"I don't think he's going to get any better sitting on the sideline," Ryan said of this year's fifth-overall draft pick. "Without question, he made a lot of mistakes today. There were some other guys that made a lot of mistakes as well. But he's got to learn from them.

"You can visualize all you want, watch tape and all that kind of stuff, carry a clipboard. But unless you get on the field, you're not going to get any better."

Sanchez has committed at least four turnovers three times this year.

He threw three interceptions (one for a touchdown) and lost a fumble (for a touchdown) in a 14-point loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 4. He threw five interceptions in a sudden-death loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 6.

Over the seven-game stretch in which the Jets have won one measly game and crumbled from Super Bowl contenders to AFC flotsam, Sanchez has thrown 14 interceptions and lost two fumbles.

That's more giveaways than a feel-good Oprah show. Of course, she leaves her audience giddy. Sanchez makes Jets fans queasy.

"I just tell him to pick his head up and keep playing football," Jets fullback Tony Richardson said, "because, obviously, he is very talented and can help this football team win.

"We are going to follow him 100 percent because he is the leader of this football team. When we watch the film, all of us could have done something to help win this ballgame. It's not just him."

Sanchez didn't have many answers Sunday. He said the first two interceptions were proper reads, but bad throws. He said the last two were the result of trying to do too much on plays that didn't work.

"Sometimes you just need to say 'Uncle' and end the play and be smart with the football," Sanchez said.

But he claimed he was prepared, said he was coming off his best practice week all year and threw only one incomplete pass Friday.

"I was feeling good about the gameplan," Sanchez said. "I knew it frontwards and backwards. But when you miss, a great defense like this will make you pay, and when you get down and try to create too much then they'll make you pay again.

"I've just got to progress and play smarter and not put the ball at risk."

Progress has been undetectable to anyone outside the organization.

"Would I say he's regressed? It's easy to say that when you compare to Week 2, but I think he's getting better," Ryan said.

Sanchez managed the Jets to a victory the first time they played the Patriots. He completed 14 of 22 attempts for 163 yards and one touchdown with zero interceptions at the Meadowlands in Week 2. He posted a 101.1 passer rating.

On Sunday, he was 8 of 21 for 136 yards and one touchdown -- a gorgeous, arcing 29-yard throw to Jerricho Cotchery. But those four interceptions left Sanchez with a 37.1 passer rating. His first half stat line was atrocious: 2 of 9 for 15 yards and two interceptions for a 0.0 rating.

"I'm learning a lot," Sanchez said. "It's hard to say by the stats that 'This kid's really improving,' but ... I've just got to take it one game at a time and then at the end of the season just look back at my performances and how I'm going to improve for next year."

Ryan admitted after the game he, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh might have to reassess their approach with Sanchez.

"Obviously, we've got to look at what we're asking him to do," Ryan said. "We've got to look in the mirror and see what we can do to help this guy.

"He's got all the tools. I think everybody sees that. We've just got to be patient with him. I think he's going to be an outstanding quarterback. I don't believe he's regressed to point where I would even consider ever benching him. He's our quarterback for the future, and he's our quarterback now."

ST. LOUIS -- The knock on Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner -- that he can be injury prone -- became outdated years ago.

Warner hasn't missed a game to injury since 2005, after all.

But when the three-time Super Bowl starter sat out the second half as a precaution Sunday after feeling "fuzzy" from a big hit, the other NFC West teams must have liked what they saw.

This division is the Cardinals' to lose until the minute Warner walks away, probably after next season.

Backup Matt Leinart struggled to hold off the St. Louis Rams 21-13 after Warner handed him a 21-3 lead and an offense that had amassed 316 yards and 17 first downs in less than two quarters.

Leinart completed 10 of 14 passes for 74 yards, including a clutch 20-yarder to Early Doucet as Arizona finally handed the Rams their ninth defeat in 10 games. But the Cardinals' offense punted four times and lost a fumble while generating seven first downs and zero points with Leinart at the controls.

Holding Leinart to Warner's standard isn't realistic or fair, but an occasional touchdown might be nice. Leinart has thrown one touchdown pass in his last 127 attempts dating to a 23-20 victory over Seattle early in the 2007 season.

This was the third time Arizona handed over the offense to Leinart this season. The Jaguars, Bears and Rams have outscored Arizona by a 24-0 count with Leinart in the game.

"Am I happy? I'm happy we won," Leinart said. "Obviously, I'm going to get better and keep working and if my opportunity comes, keep making the most of it."

While the Rams pitched a second-half shutout, no one in the Edward Jones Dome played tougher defense than Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt. He offered unwavering support for Leinart, but it was a tough sell.

"I think some of it has just been bad luck," Whisenhunt said. "If you go back to Jacksonville, he threw a pass on a naked [bootleg] that was a first down and the guy drops it. He throws a pass today on a naked after just making on that same drive a big third-down conversion to Larry ... and it's fumbled. I mean, that's not Matt's fault."

Leinart overthrew Fitzgerald twice on the Cardinals' first drive of the third quarter. He seemed to hold the ball too long while taking a 9-yard sack on a third-and-3 play with 6:06 remaining in the game. A fumble in that situation could have cost Arizona its second consecutive 7-3 start.

"As with anything, you get into a groove as you are doing it and have some continuity, you get more comfortable," Whisenhunt said. "The play he made to Early, I don't see how you can make a better play than that as a quarterback."

Warner completed 15 of 19 passes for 203 yards, two touchdowns and a 146.3 rating. He had just completed a 14-yard pass to Fitzgerald in the second quarter when Rams safety Oshiomogho Atogwe hit him from behind. Warner appeared shaken, but he stayed in the game for five more plays, leaving only after Beanie Wells' 1-yard touchdown run gave Arizona a 21-3 lead with 2:23 left in the first half.

"It was one of those situations where I didn't feel perfect, so I just wanted to be cautious with it," Warner said. "I actually feel pretty good right now. Just a very, very slight headache. I remember everything that happened. I didn't get knocked out."

Warner said he hasn't suffered a concussion since probably 2003, when he was still with the Rams. The serious injury Anquan Boldin suffered against the Jets last season rattled Warner. Another teammate, Sean Morey, has battled concussions this season. Warner is 38 years old. He has seven children. He made the right decision.

"I think you get farther in your career and you see life beyond football and you realize that this game is just a game," Warner said. "There are other things that you want to do and you want to be smart, especially when it comes to your health. I think that is what I have learned.

Warner overshadowed his former team when he was in the game and through the manner he left it. His St. Louis successor, Marc Bulger, wasn't much of a factor in the outcome -- not a good sign for a player with an $8.5 million salary next season.

But as Leinart showed the Rams on Sunday, drafting a quarterback in the first round assures nothing.

"Not taking anything away from Matt Leinart, because he is capable of getting the job done and they got a ton of weapons still, but I think it just shows you how good Kurt is, that when he comes out, things kind of shut down a little bit more for them," Rams defensive end Chris Long said. "Kurt just makes plays."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- With 30 seconds left in the game and ahead by 17 points, the New England Patriots tried to deliver a sucker punch.

Tom Brady loaded up and fired a bomb toward Randy Moss down the left sideline. The intention was clear. They wanted to sting New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis.

Revis, as he had throughout the game, was in Moss' back pocket. The pass fell incomplete.

"We know the Patriots don't quit," Revis said with a laugh. "They want to keep on adding points up on the board. I knew it. I was ready to go. It's just a play, and I did my job on that play."

The Patriots won Sunday's game 31-14 in Gillette Stadium, but Revis won the hotly anticipated rematch with Moss.

In Week 2, Revis limited Moss to four catches for 24 yards at the Meadowlands. Moss made some dismissive comments afterward about Revis having coverage help. Revis insisted he stopped Moss one-on-one. Moss on Friday said Revis better put up or shut up.

Brady targeted Moss 11 times Sunday. Moss caught four passes for 28 yards and was called for an offensive pass interference penalty with Revis guarding him.

"Randy is a great receiver," Revis said. "I give him a lot of respect. When me and him battle, it's great battles."

Moss did beat Revis for a touchdown on a nearly indefensible 4-yard timing pattern in the first quarter and caught a 6-yard pass with cornerback Drew Coleman covering.

"Revis did a great job on Randy Moss, just like he did the last time," Jets coach Rex Ryan said. "That's one guy that actually won his battle."

The Patriots tried to surprise Revis with a flea-flicker early in the first quarter. Revis didn't bite. That pass also hit the ground.

"Moss tried to catch me sleeping," Revis said. "That's football. They bring the best out in you. I enjoy the competition. I'm expecting the ball to come my way when you're covering a guy like Randy Moss."

Moss didn't speak to reporters afterward, but Ryan was quick to declare Revis the victor for that individual matchup, at least.

"We got the best corner in football," Ryan said. "He's going against Randy Moss. This is one heck of a football player in his own right, a Hall of Famer, the best vertical receiver in the game. Revis never flinched one bit.

"Out of 11 one-on-one matchups, we know we got that one. But we've got to worry about the other guys, too. It's unfortunate to have that kind of effort from Revis and come up short."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- After drawing criticism all week for his play calling in a loss to the Green Bay Packers, Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett produced a much more balanced approach against the Washington Redskins. And the results weren't a whole lot better.

This week, though, the defense bailed out the Cowboys long enough for the offense to finally show up in the fourth quarter in a 7-6 victory. On the surface, a 6-3 Cowboys team should've dominated a 3-6 team that is simply playing for pride at this point. But for the better part of four quarters, the Redskins were the best team on the field.

Garrett, a man who'd run the ball 41 percent of the time through the first nine games, answered his critics by calling 22 running plays against only 12 passes in the first half. Marion Barber and Felix Jones combined for 107 yards in the first half, but the Cowboys came up empty on the scoreboard. It didn't help that Barber fumbled on the Redskins' 16-yard line in the first quarter.

Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall scooped up the fumble, causing quarterback Tony Romo to become a defender. That's not a good scenario for the Cowboys. Romo made the tackle but he suffered a back injury in the process. He winced in pain with each warm-up throw on the sideline, but never missed a snap.

Romo spent the rest of the afternoon subjecting his receivers to devastating blows from Redskins safety LaRon Landry. The quarterback was losing the ball high, something that normally takes place with Rangers pitchers a couple of blocks down the street. Romo was 15-of-27 for 158 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

The Redskins were playing without All-Pro defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and they quickly lost starting running back Ladell Betts to a knee injury. This wasn't supposed to be a fair fight, but it went to the wire because the Cowboys' offense that helped lead the team to a four-game winning streak has gone in the tank. The Cowboys can probably get away with just showing up against the Oakland Raiders on Thursday, but they won't beat teams such as the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers playing like this on offense.

"This is also one of those kind of games you can look at and know you have to get better because if we play that type of football week in and week out, we won't be able to accomplish the goals we need or want," Romo said. "Saying that, it's mostly us on the offensive side of the ball. The defense played outstanding today, they gave us a chance to win the game."

When you hold a team to six points, I guess "outstanding" is an appropriate superlative, but the Redskins helped out the Cowboys with missed opportunities and baffling coaching moves. Linebackers London Fletcher and Rocky McIntosh both dropped easy interceptions in the first half that would've given the Redskins the ball inside Cowboys territory. And late in the first half, the Skins' lame-duck coach, Jim Zorn, went conservative for no apparent reason. The Redskins had a third-and-1 at the Cowboys' 21 with 15 seconds left in the first half. Instead of taking a shot at the end zone, Zorn sent the field-goal unit onto the field. Shaun Suisham hooked a 39-yard attempt and the Redskins only had a 3-0 lead at halftime.

It's hard to say that a quarterback played an excellent game in a 7-6 loss, but that's exactly what happened with Jason Campbell. He beat the Cowboys' blitz by finding his receivers on hot routes and somehow shook off outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware to extend plays. His efforts were undermined by a poor effort from Suisham, and a playcaller and head coach who took their feet off the Cowboys' throats at the worst possible moments.

Clinging to a 6-0 lead midway through the fourth quarter, the Redskins had a third-and-2 at the Cowboys' 30. They had hurt the Cowboys on third down all day with quick deliveries from Campbell, but they decided to send Rock Cartwright up the gut for a 2-yard loss. Perhaps for a moment, playcaller extraordinaire Sherm Lewis forgot the Skins had one of the worst offensive lines in the league.

Suisham was wide right on a 50-yard attempt, and the Cowboys had new life. Romo was 7-of-8 on the ensuing drive. And with 2:50 left in the game, he spun away from rookie-of-the-year candidate Brian Orakpo's sack attempt and fired a 10-yard touchdown pass back across the field to Patrick Crayton.

Cowboys defensive end Stephen Bowen tipped a Campbell pass at the line of scrimmage that was intercepted by Anthony Spencer and the Cowboys escaped. No one in the Cowboys' locker room apologized for the win -- and they shouldn't have to. But at some point this season -- preferably before December -- this offense needs to find an identity. Garrett reintroduced balance to the offense Sunday, but it didn't yield any more points than his pass-happy approach at Lambeau Field.

"We weren't consistent enough," Garrett said after the game. "But at the end of the day, we found a way to win the game."

With a huge assist from the Redskins, of course.

At this point, the Giants will take a win any way they can get one. They had a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter and then watched it slip away as the Falcons tied the game with 28 seconds left.

It would have been a crushing loss, but the Giants won the toss and then quickly moved the ball into field goal range for Lawrence Tynes, a man who hasn't been automatic from any distance this season.

Eli Manning was 25-of-39 for 384 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. The Falcons have one of the worst secondaries in the league and Manning made them pay with several deep balls.

Mario Manningham has been plagued by drops, but he caught six balls for 126 yards in the Giants' win. His 29-yard catch on a fade route in overtime put the Giants in position to score. It was also a huge day for Kevin Boss, who had five catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns. The fact that the running game didn't go anywhere shouldn't be a huge concern. Teams have torched the Falcons' secondary, so there's really no reason to establish the run.

You have to be concerned about a defense that allowed another late drive, but the Giants will worry about that tomorrow. For now, they remain a game behind the Cowboys in the NFC East -- and a 6-4 record must sound pretty good to them. Linebacker Michael Boley had an outstanding game against his former team Sunday. He had 13 tackles and a sack against the same Falcons that benched him during the 2008 season.

Justin Tuck has fought a shoulder injury since Week 2, but he had four tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. This is not anything close to an elite team, but in this division you don't have to be. The Cowboys barely squeaked out a win over the Redskins and the Eagles are about to play the Bears at Soldier Field. The Giants could find themselves in sole possession of second place at the end of the night.

I'm not sure the Giants could have weathered another loss, but now we'll never know. They have to turn around and make the trip to Denver for a game Thanksgiving night. It's not an ideal situation. Just ask co-owner John Mara about that.

But the Broncos are imploding as we speak, so the game doesn't look as difficult as it did three weeks ago. No matter how you slice it, the Giants had to have a win against the Falcons. Now they're definitely back in the playoff conversation.

Bruce Gradkowski was named Oakland’s starting quarterback because team officials thought he could give the Raiders a better chance to win than JaMarcus Russell.

So far, so good.

Gradkowski wasn’t great for all of the game, but he threw a big touchdown late in the game to Louis Murphy to give Cincinnati the chance to fumble the ensuing kickoff in the final seconds. It set up a short Sebastian Janikowski field goal and gave the Raiders’ their third win of the season.

This win was unlikely, but the Raiders will take it. They are now 3-7 heading into a Thanksgiving Day trip to Dallas.

Life has been tough for the Raiders and Oakland deserves this dose of good fortune.

Gradkowski is likely not the long-term answer, but he has given the Raiders a renewed energy and a win. Oakland will gladly take both.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Al Harris pulled on a brown leather coat, turned around from his locker and for a moment I thought I was looking at the wrong guy. There were no crutches to be seen. No medical officials were hovering. Harris looked like any other Packers player departing Lambeau Field.

Then he took a step, and that was it. Harris could not put any weight on his left knee, and it appears a virtual certainty he will miss the rest of the season. The same could be true for linebacker Aaron Kampman, who like Harris, rode a cart off the field in the second half of the Packers’ 30-24 victory over San Francisco. Multiple reports suggested both players tore their anterior cruciate ligaments, but coach Mike McCarthy said only that the injuries "did not look very good."

Regardless, the Packers almost certainly will be left to pursue a wild-card playoff berth without two of their most prominent players.

“Those are two staples of our defense,” cornerback Charles Woodson said. “They are great guys and teammates. I don’t know the extent of either one of their injuries right now. But not to have those guys is going to be tough going for this team.”

Through all of their trials in pass protection and scheme adjustment, the Packers have strung together consecutive victories to put themselves in position for a playoff spot. At 6-4, they’re part of a second tier of NFC teams behind the division leaders. That group includes the New York Giants (6-4) and possibly Philadelphia (5-4) should the Eagles win Sunday night at Chicago.

Otherwise, the Packers have gained an advantage over Atlanta (5-5), Chicago (5-5 at best), San Francisco (4-6) and Carolina (4-6) with six games to play. I believe they’ve tweaked their offense sufficiently enough to mitigate some problems in pass protection, having rediscovered their running game while targeting checkdown receivers more frequently. (Sunday, tailback Ryan Grant rushed for 129 yards while backup Brandon Jackson and tight end Jermichael Finley combined for 13 receptions.)

But even with Harris and Kampman on the field, the Packers were just starting to turn the corner on defense. To me, the biggest question of their playoff run isn’t whether they can protect Rodgers. It’s whether defensive coordinator Dom Capers can piece together a game plan to match their looming personnel turnover.

Their new mix is likely to include Tramon Williams in Harris’ spot along with rookie Brandon Underwood in the nickel. Rookie Brad Jones and veteran Brady Poppinga would replace Kampman.

“It’s like that in the NFL,” Capers said. “A week ago, when we didn’t have Aaron, Brad went in and did a nice job and we played well. Their job is to get ready and our job is to see how much we think they can handle and what they can do to find a way to play and win the game.”

I think most of us can agree the Packers strung together their best six quarters of defense last week against Dallas and in the first half Sunday against the 49ers. Here’s what the Cowboys and 49ers managed over that stretch:

Points: 10
Yards: 335
First Downs: 18

Now look at what happened from the moment Harris joined Kampman in the locker room at the 10:52 mark in the fourth quarter. See what the 49ers amassed in 10 offensive plays to close out the game:

Points: 14
Yards: 92
First downs: 5

The Packers suddenly couldn’t stop a team they had limited to one first down in the first half. Frankly, the Packers locked down the victory mostly because their offense ran the final 5:50 off the clock.

Capers noted that the 49ers began their comeback before Harris was injured, but I don’t think you can underestimate the domino effect of his departure. I’m well aware that rookie Michael Crabtree beat him for a 38-yard touchdown in the third quarter, but to that point Harris had blanketed him.

Woodson, for one, said Harris had made substantial progress in accepting the scheme recently.

“The last two weeks,” Woodson said, “the way he has studied, knowing what he’s going to get out there on the field, has drastically improved.”

Williams has a nose for the ball and is a decent playmaker, but I’m far from sold on his coverage skills. Crabtree, not noted for his speed, ran right past him on a 35-yard pass that set up the 49ers’ final touchdown.

“The second half, it wasn’t real good,” Williams said. “It’s a win, but deep down inside, we know it wasn’t a winning performance against a good team.”

In the worst-case scenario, in fact, the Packers will have two late-round draft picks in prominent roles for the rest of the season. Underwood (Round 6b) is the likeliest candidate for nickel, and Jones (Round 7) will certainly see significant time in Kampman’s place.

Like Harris, it seemed as though Kampman was beginning to find a comfort zone in the Packers' defense over the past few weeks. After sitting out the Cowboys game because of a concussion, Kampman sacked 49ers quarterback Alex Smith in the first quarter and unofficially finished with a team-high four solo tackles.

If he is lost for the season, you have to wonder if Kampman has played his final game in a Packers uniform. His contract expires after this season, and while it’s clear he can be part of a successful 3-4 defense, it’s equally clear his skills are not maximized in it.

But Sunday’s sack came from a nickel-like package in which Kampman rushed from a down-lineman’s position. Kampman’s productivity has increased since Capers began giving him more opportunities to rush as a defensive end.

“I’m not sure how he felt about the defense this season and switching schemes,” Woodson said. “But I know one thing: Nobody worked harder at it trying to be a productive member of this team. I know he was excited, especially how we did last weekend [and with us] doing some good things today. To see a guy [seriously injured] that you know works hard at the game and loves the game, both him and Al, is a tough thing.”

And not just for Woodson. Overcoming these injuries, while maintaining their recent standard of defensive play, will be the key to the Packers’ season.