NFC East: More drama in Dallas

Football Betting Lines

10/14/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NFL's most-watched soap opera, more commonly known as the Dallas Cowboys, just added a few more juicy storylines over the past few days.

The intrigue began last Wednesday, when the hardly surprising news broke out of troublesome cornerback Adam Jones' apparent altercation with a personal security guard at a downtown Dallas hotel. The plot thickened on Sunday, when the favored Cowboys were handed a stinging 30-24 overtime defeat in Arizona largely due to two crucial special teams breakdowns that directly resulted in a pair of Cardinals touchdowns.

As it turned out, Dallas lost more than just a game on Sunday. Quarterback Tony Romo fractured the pinkie finger on his throwing hand after being sacked on the first play of overtime, and is expected to miss at least three games. Rookie running back and return sparkplug Felix Jones will be out a minimum of two weeks after injuring his left hamstring during the second half, while reserve wide receiver and special teams stalwart Sam Hurd could be done for the season after aggravating a lingering high ankle sprain.

In addition, standout punter Mat McBriar is likely to wind up on injured reserve after he fractured his right foot on the final play of Sunday's setback. The 2006 Pro Bowl participant suffered the injury when his punt was blocked by the Cardinals' Sean Morey, with Arizona's Monty Beisel falling on the loose ball in the end zone for the game-winning points.

Then there's the situation involving Adam Jones, whose latest episode of poor judgement will send the bad-seed defensive back into street clothes for at least the next four games, the NFL announced on Tuesday.

Jones' suspension further weakens a Dallas secondary that is already without its best cover man, Terence Newman. The Pro Bowl cornerback underwent groin surgery last week and won't be available until mid-November.

The Cowboys will have plenty of receivers at their disposal in the coming weeks, however. Just minutes before Tuesday's 4 p.m. (et) trade deadline, the team acquired highly-skilled wideout Roy Williams from the Detroit Lions for what was reported as a trio of 2009 draft picks, including Dallas' first- rounder.

Terrell Owens was not available for comment.

With Romo, who threw for 321 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday, temporarily on the shelf, the Cowboys' talent-laden offense will rely on the seasoned but aging right arm of 40-year-old Brad Johnson. The 17th-year pro last started a game in December of the 2006 season. Slumping running back Marion Barber, who's averaged just 52 rushing yards and a pedestrian 3.2 yards per carry over the last three games, will also be called upon often in the coming weeks.

Barber did make a huge impact as a receiver in Sunday's loss, as the versatile back amassed career highs of 11 receptions and 128 receiving yards against the Cardinals and sparked a late fourth-quarter comeback with a nifty 70-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown.

QUICK HITS: Linebacker DeMarcus Ware extended his streak of consecutive games with a sack to nine when he took down Arizona's Kurt Warner late in the fourth quarter. Since sacks were recognized by the NFL as an official statistic in 1982, Ware's run is tied with Bruce Smith and Kevin Greene for the second- longest streak in league history...Romo established a new franchise record with his 14th career 300-yard passing game, breaking the mark he had shared with Hall of Famer Troy Aikman...The Cowboys are hopeful that strong safety Roy Williams (no relation to the newly-acquired WR), out since Week 2 due to a fractured forearm, will be able to return for this Sunday's test at St. Louis.

NEXT UP: Johnson will attempt to shake off the rust when the Cowboys visit St. Louis' Edward James Jones this Sunday to take on a Rams squad that's coming off its first victory of the year, a 19-17 shocker at Washington. These teams met in Dallas during Week 4 of last season, a 35-7 Cowboys' rout.

N.Y. GIANTS: The Giants' 11-game road winning streak came to a crashing halt Monday night in Cleveland, where the previously-unbeaten club was dealt a lopsided 35-14 defeat by the Browns.

New York bore little resemblance to the team that had won its first four games of 2008 by a margin of more than 19 points. The defending Super Bowl champs were mistake-prone on offense and uncharacteristically submissive on the defensive side, which resulted in their first defeat in an enemy stadium since a 45-35 setback to Dallas in Week 1 of the 2007 season.

The determined Browns piled up 454 total yards, 310 of which came through the air, and the Giants did not force a punt or a turnover over the course of the game. Cleveland put together four drives of nine plays or more on the evening.

New York failed to induce a punt for the first time since a loss to Pittsburgh on December 18, 2004, while its trademark high-pressure defense did not record a sack in a regular-season contest for the first time since Week 11 of the 2006 season.

After committing only one turnover during their season-opening tear, the Giants had three on Monday. All came on interceptions thrown by quarterback Eli Manning, the last of which was returned 94 yards for a touchdown by Cleveland's Eric Wright.

"I'm disappointed," said Manning. "We didn't come out and play the way we've been playing. You turn the ball over three times. That's just not the formula for winning."

Manning did connect with Plaxico Burress for a three-yard touchdown during the second quarter of the headache-causing wide receiver's first outing back from a team-issued one-game suspension for a violation of organizational rules. He ended the night with 58 yards on four catches.

QUICK HITS: The Giants did rush for 181 yards against the Browns, with backup running back Derrick Ward totaling 101 on just 10 carries...Slot receiver Steve Smith posted career-highs of nine catches and 94 receiving yards in Monday's loss...Manning's first interception of the night snapped a string of 108 consecutive passes without a pick, the second-longest streak of his five- year career...New York fell to 18-31-1 all-time on Monday Night Football.

NEXT UP: The Giants return home for a Sunday afternoon tilt with the struggling San Francisco 49ers, who head east having lost their last three games. New York cruised to a 33-15 victory over the Niners at Giants Stadium in October of last season.

PHILADELPHIA: The Eagles recorded the lone victory by an NFC East member this past weekend, a much-needed 40-26 triumph over San Francisco at Candlestick Park. Philadelphia overcame the absence of injured running back Brian Westbrook, as well as a late six-point deficit, by erupting for 23 unanswered points during the fourth quarter.

The offense still managed to click minus Westbrook, who was inactive after fracturing two ribs in the team's 23-17 loss to rival Washington the previous Sunday, thanks to a strong performance from fellow running back Correll Buckhalter. The capable understudy compiled a career-high 178 yards from scrimmage on the afternoon, contributing 93 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries and gaining an additional 85 yards on seven receptions.

Quarterback Donovan McNabb finished with 280 yards on 23-of-36 passing and threw for a pair of touchdowns, including a three-yard strike to tight end L.J. Smith that gave the Eagles a 26-24 edge with 11:38 left to play.

A Philadelphia defense that had some problems against the run during the game would protect that lead with two fourth-quarter interceptions of Niners quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan, with defensive end Juqua Parker taking the second pick 55 yards for a game-sealing touchdown in the final minute.

The Eagles did allow 131 rushing yards on the day, one week after yielding 203 yards on the ground to the Redskins. Over the team's first four games of the season, the defense gave up a mere 215 rushing yards overall.

Philadelphia, which snapped a two-game losing streak and moved within one game of both Dallas and Washington for second place in the division, now has a chance to get a number of injured key contributors healthy with an upcoming bye week. In addition to Westbrook, wide receiver Reggie Brown sat out Sunday's matchup with a groin injury and fellow wideout Kevin Curtis has yet to play this season after undergoing surgery to repair a sports hernia in August.

All three players are expected to be ready when the Eagles host Atlanta on October 26. The team is less sure of the availability of Pro Bowl guard Shawn Andrews, who has missed four straight games with back spasms and does not have a definite timetable for a return.

QUICK HITS: McNabb surpassed Ron Jaworski for first place on Philadelphia's all-time list for passing yards during the game. The longtime quarterback has now thrown for 26,980 yards in an Eagles uniform...McNabb and head coach Andy Reid teamed up for their 76th win together, which passed Bill Walsh and Joe Montana as the winningest head coach/quarterback duo in league history that began their careers together...Parker's interception and touchdown were both firsts of his eight-year career...Defensive lineman Victor Abiamiri saw his first game action of 2008 on Sunday, lining up as a pass-rushing tackle in nickel situations. The second-year pro had been sidelined with a fractured wrist...Abiamiri's availability allowed Reid to use converted defensive tackle Dan Klecko extensively at fullback on Sunday.

NEXT UP: Following their one-week sabbatical, the Eagles will host the improving Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field on October 26. Since Reid took over as head coach in 1999, Philadelphia is a perfect 9-0 after the bye.

WASHINGTON: The Redskins were bitten by the upset bug as well this past Sunday, with the previously-winless St. Louis Rams coming into FedEx Field and pulling off a shocking 19-17 decision over one of the league's hottest teams.

While the game wound up being decided by a 49-yard field goal by the Rams' Josh Brown in the final seconds, Washington's run of four straight wins came to an end primarily because of three first-half turnovers from its normally reliable offense.

The most costly miscue occurred on the final play of the first half. Quarterback Jason Campbell had a pass deflected at the line of scrimmage and land in the arms of offensive lineman Pete Kendall. The veteran guard attempted to run following the catch and was promptly stripped by St. Louis linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, with safety Oshiomogho Atogwe scooping up the loose ball and racing 75 yards into the end zone to send the Rams into the break with a 10-7 lead.

Tight end Chris Cooley also killed a potential scoring drive for the Redskins with a fumble in the first quarter. Campbell was not intercepted on the afternoon, but was sacked four times as an offensive line that lost five-time Pro Bowl tackle Chris Samuels due to injury during the game failed to adequately protect the young signal-caller.

Washington had turned the ball over just once during its 4-1 start to the season.

Sunday's loss spoiled outstanding showings from running back Clinton Portis and a Redskins defense that limited the Rams to only 200 total yards and did not surrender a touchdown for the game. Portis churned out 129 yards and two scores on 21 carries, the third consecutive week the workhorse back has eclipsed the century mark.

Portis, who put up 145 rushing yards in the Redskins' Week 5 victory at Philadelphia, now leads the NFL with 643 yards on the ground through the first six weeks of play.

QUICK HITS: Portis' backup, Ladell Betts, sprained his left knee during Sunday's loss and will be sidelined between 2-to-3 weeks...According to a report in the Washington Post, the Redskins will bring in former league MVP Shaun Alexander in for a workout on Tuesday. The ex-Seahawk has ties to head coach Jim Zorn from the latter's days as Seattle's offensive coordinator... Redskins player personnel guru Vinny Cerrato announced during a radio interview on Monday that the team will cut ties with punter Durant Brooks prior to the next game. Brooks, a sixth-round pick in last April's draft, ranks last in the league in both gross and net punting average...Defensive end Jason Taylor and cornerback Shawn Springs returned to action after missing the Philadelphia game with calf injuries, although neither started.

NEXT UP: The Redskins conclude a two-game homestand when the resurgent Cleveland Browns make their first-ever trip to FedEx Field this Sunday. The teams have not squared off since the 2004 season, when the Browns came away with a 17-13 win in Cleveland. Washington had won its first two home tilts of this season prior to last Sunday's setback.