FanHouse Dallas Cowboys

After a one-week hiatus, Sunday night football returns with a classic NFC East rivalry as Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles host Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys. As always, we'll be discussing all of the action on the field (and the rest of Sunday's games) in our Sunday Night Football Live Chat. So grab some Yuengling and a cheese steak and join us, won't you?

Fun starts at 8:15 PM ET.

When the Eagles and Cowboys step on the same field, you know you're in for a battle. This will be the 100th meeting in the series, with the Cowboys entering the fay with a 55-44 lead in the previous 99 games. The Eagles have the leg up in recent years though, culminating in a Week 17 beatdown last year that wound up earning Philly a playoff berth over Dallas. (Not that Tony Romo would have done much had he made the playoffs anyway.)

Both teams are 5-2, and with the Giants losing to both these foes in recent weeks, this game will determine who has the inside track at winning the NFC East. So if you though this would be just another regular ol' 100th meeting between hated rivals, think again.

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On the eve of a Sunday night NFC East showdown in Philadelphia, the Cowboys have gotten some bulletin board material via a comparison of their franchise and the Eagles. Strangely enough, the inflammatory statements weren't made by anyone with current ties to the Eagles, but by Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.

Harbaugh, a former Eagles assistant, was asked for a new book what made the Eagles more successful than the Cowboys over the last 10 years. Matt Mosley of ESPN.com shares the answer.

In case you hadn't noticed, sports these days are all about Goliath. In 2009, the Steelers, Lakers, North Carolina Tar Heels and now the Yankees have all won titles in their respective sports. Cinderella is yesterday's news. The teams that win these days are the teams that always win, and if you think that's boring, well, tough. You can kiss one of Derek Jeter's five World Series rings.

So with that in mind, we need to be really careful about overlooking the Dallas Cowboys.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. All you ever hear about the Cowboys is what's wrong with them. Terrell Owens was a pain. Roy Williams is a loudmouth, too, and isn't good enough to replace T.O. Tony Romo's too concerned with his golf game and his high-wattage love life to ever attain his potential. The new stadium is ridiculous...

It's that time of year again. Nope, not the changing of the leaves or the holiday season, it's that time of year when a Cowboys wide receiver isn't happy with quarterback Tony Romo, and allows himself the privilege of complaining to the media about it instead of, you know, talking to TONY ROMO!

Roy Williams, who was supposed to replace previously unhappy Terrell Owens as the top wideout in Dallas, has continued his career of underachieving, this year to the tune of 41.5 yards per game and just two touchdowns. While Roy has struggled, Miles Austin, an undrafted receiver out of Monmouth has done incredible stuff, including breaking the record in Dallas for yards receiving in a game (250 in week five) and scoring six times, five of which have come in the last three games.

None of those numbers matter, however, because Roy is the best in Dallas and Roy should get more looks. According to Roy.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- A month ago, the Dallas Cowboys were a 2-2 mess; inconsistent on offense, generous on defense and seemingly already out of contention in the cutthroat NFC East following a mistake-filled thrashing by the then-undefeated Broncos in Denver.

Flash forward to Sunday's lopsided 38-17 victory over the battered Seattle Seahawks -- the Cowboys' third consecutive win in their swank $1.2 billion home -- and Dallas' turnaround from bashed to brilliant seems accomplished.

Quarterback Tony Romo completed passes to 10 different receivers, including touchdown throws to the increasingly popular Miles Austin (five catches, 61 yards), as well as to the forgotten Sam Hurd and the once-missing Roy Williams. Romo's performance, where he hit on 21-of-36 passes for 256 yards, capped off the first three-game span without an interception in his seven-year career.

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After entering the National Football League in 1996 as a third-round selection, Terrell Owens has put up some big-time numbers in his 14-year career.

He's the NFL's active touchdown leader with 142 scores. He's second among active receivers to Isaac Bruce with 14,364 career receiving yards. He's also been a six-time Pro-Bowler. But, when asked what his goal for 2009 entailed, Owens didn't shoot for the moon like you would expect a player with his accolades to do. In fact, all Owens wants to do is outperform Dallas wide receiver Roy Williams.

IRVING, Texas -- After Tony Romo had his "Eli moment'' Sunday, Miles Austin enjoyed a few "T.O. moments.''

Romo made like Eli Manning in Super Bowl XLII when he ducked and dodged Atlanta Falcons pass rushers and spun and flicked a 5-yard touchdown pass to receiver Patrick Crayton just before halftime. It was the last of 17 straight Cowboys points in the half, and gave Dallas a 17-7 lead en route to a 37-21 victory.

"You have to do something out of the ordinary once in a while,'' Romo said.

Austin, meanwhile, is making the extraordinary routine.

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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has never been shy about spending big for superstars, and on Monday he spent very big to lock in one of the best defensive players in the league.

Linebacker DeMarcus Ware has agreed to a six-year contract extension that Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com reports is worth nearly $13 million per season and almost $40 million in guaranteed money.

The contract ensures that the 27-year-old Ware will play for the Cowboys, who selected him with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft, through the prime years of his career.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- This was to have been the Giants' get-right game. Sure, New Orleans beat them up last week, but the Saints are an undefeated team that was coming off a bye week and playing at home. The Giants spent the week shrugging off that loss and promising to be better this week at home against the Cardinals. The defense promised more blitzing and less trepidation. The offense promised to be sharper. To a man, the Giants were certain they'd come up with a big win Sunday night over the reigning NFC champs...and then they lost.

"For whatever reason, we've had two weeks in a row now where one area has not performed very well," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "So, back to the drawing board."

And back, whether they like it or not, into a three-team NFC East tussle where there's no clear favorite -- not even them.

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