Cowboys owner Jerry Jones created quite a buzz earlier this week when he said on his weekly radio show that he was “scared” of the Philadelphia Eagles.

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Jones backtracked from his comments a couple of days later, explaining that fear has motivated him his entire life.

But if anyone should be scared, it probably ought to be the Eagles (6-8), whose slim playoff chances will evaporate if they lose at Cowboys Stadium Saturday against Dallas (8-6).

In fact, Philadelphia could be eliminated before kickoff. That will happen if the Giants defeat the Jets earlier in the day.

But if the Eagles can beat the Cowboys and then defeat the Redskins, they can sneak into the playoffs if the Jets beat the Giants and then the Giants defeat Dallas at MetLife Stadium next week.

“It’s definitely a challenge,” Eagles running back LeSean McCoy said on a conference call. “We want to win the game no matter if we’ve got a shot or we don’t.

“Obviously, we need some teams to lose. But what we can control is just winning games. This is one of the games that we need to win, so I think that probably drives us a little more.”

If the Cowboys need any motivation, it’s that they can clinch the NFC East if they beat the Eagles and the Giants lose to the Jets. And if that isn’t enough to spur them on, they can use this game as payback for the way Philadelphia thrashed them back in Week 8.

In that game, a 34-7 rout by the Eagles, McCoy ran for 185 yards and two touchdowns and Michael Vick threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns.

But it is McCoy, who leads the NFL with 20 touchdowns, who has the Cowboys’ full attention.

“He is as good as it gets when it comes to making people miss,” Cowboys inside linebacker Sean Lee said. “I don’t think there’s anybody in the NFL really as elusive as he’s been and has as much success as he has making people miss.

“That’s a big thing we’re focused on, being able to stop him, rallying and making sure a bunch of us guys are running to the football.”

The Eagles, meanwhile, will have to contend with a seemingly re-energized Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. Since his three-interception game against Detroit, Romo has been picked off just four times in his past 10 games and has thrown 22 touchdown passes in that stretch.

His quarterback rating has soared to 102.6, which would be a career high if he can sustain it for two more games. Romo said he no longer is trying to win games by himself, that he’s not forcing passes and instead, he trusts his offense to make plays.

“You can’t be up and down,” he said. “If you look, we’ve been a lot more consistent here the past few months and you’ve just got to keep doing that. The rest is going to take care of itself.

“Our team is starting to figure out who we are a little bit and obviously we’ve had a couple of close loses, but we’re ready to go now.”

After two weeks in the top spot, the Dallas Cowboys’ Tony Romo this week slides ever-so-slightly behind the New York Giants’ Eli Manning for the starting quarterback spot on the NFC East All-Division Team. As I have written for many weeks now, the race between Romo and Manning is as close as it can possibly be in almost every single category. But I’m not going to split the vote. I’m going to make a pick. And the Week 13 performances slid Manning slightly back in front of Romo for the season, for me.

The disclaimer that no one will read: This All-Division Team reflects performance for the entire year to date. It is not — repeat, NOT – simply a list of awards for Week 13 performance. That’s why Mitch Petrus isn’t on it. Any changes made due to Week 13 results of performance are made because said results or performance, added to the prior 12 weeks’ body of work for the players in question, warranted a change.

That’s what happened at quarterback, which could very easily swing back and forth between Romo and Manning the rest of the way. It seems to be the king of all NFC East debates — Romo vs. Manning — and on it rages. You guys are going to love this week’s Hot Button.

But first, this week’s All-Division Team, followed by some notes.

Quarterback: Eli Manning, Giants (Last week: Tony Romo)

Running back: LeSean McCoy, Eagles (McCoy)

Wide receiver: Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, Giants (Nicks, Cruz)

Tight end: Jason Witten, Cowboys (Witten)

Fullback: Darrel Young, Redskins (Young)

Left tackle: Jason Peters, Eagles (Peters)

Left guard: Evan Mathis, Eagles (Mathis)

Center: Will Montgomery, Redskins (Montgomery)

Right guard: Kyle Kosier, Cowboys (Danny Watkins)

Right tackle: Tyron Smith, Cowboys (Smith)

Defensive end: Jason Pierre-Paul, Giants; Trent Cole, Eagles (Pierre-Paul, Cole)

Defensive tackle: Jay Ratliff, Cowboys; Cullen Jenkins, Eagles (Ratliff, Jenkins)

Outside linebacker: DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys; Ryan Kerrigan, Redskins (Ware, Brian Orakpo)

Inside linebacker: London Fletcher, Redskins; Sean Lee, Cowboys (Fletcher, Lee)

Cornerback: Asante Samuel, Eagles; Corey Webster, Giants (Samuel, Terence Newman)

Safety: Kenny Phillips, Giants; Gerald Sensabaugh, Cowboys (Phillips, Sensabaugh)

Kicker: Dan Bailey, Cowboys (Bailey)

Punter: Steve Weatherford, Giants (Sav Rocca)

Kick returner: Brandon Banks, Redskins (Banks)

Punt returner: Brandon Banks, Redskins (Banks)

• So you don’t have to go back and count, it’s eight Cowboys, seven Giants, six Eagles and six Redskins. And no, I don’t take that into account or try to make sure it’s even. That’s just the way it’s worked out.
• Kerrigan moves back in front of Orakpo in the race for that second outside linebacker spot. It’s a neck-and-neck race kind of like quarterback is, and I thought Kerrigan was a bit better Sunday. They’re both studs, and if Washington is building a defense around its pass-rushing linebackers, it’s doing a good job. It’s also worth noting that the Cowboys’ Anthony Spencer is playing well enough to get into the conversation for that spot alongside teammate Ware.
• London Fletcher is special. He’s on here every week, almost automatically, and therefore never gets mentioned. All he’s doing is racking up tackles, playing his guts out on every down and setting the tone for that Redskins defense and all of the young players around him. Someday, if Perry Riley turns out to be great, he’s going to look back and be very grateful for the opportunity to learn next to someone like Fletcher.
• And cornerback remains a wasteland. Nobody’s playing it well. I left Newman on there last week and then he went out and played basically his worst game of the year. I have no idea how to pick the cornerbacks for this team and so once again I am leaving it to Pro Football Focus, which grades Samuel as the No. 17 corner in the league and Webster at No. 37 — the two best rankings among NFC East corners. For Week 13 specifically, it rated Orlando Scandrick and DeAngelo Hall as the best. What can I tell you?
• Kosier takes the right guard spot from Watkins because he’s been healthier and playing better and it’s probably pretty important to point out his level of responsibility for Smith’s instantaneous and brilliant success as a rookie playing next to him.
• Finally, Pierre-Paul is an absolute thrill to watch. He’s the best defensive end in the division, and along with Orakpo and Kerrigan he makes a case for second-best defensive player in the division behind Ware. He’s huge, hyper-athletic and getting better play by play. It’s frightening to think how good he can become.

So let me know. What’d I get wrong?

I have spent a lot of time the last month trumpeting the arrival of DeMarco Murray(notes) to the Dallas Cowboys’ lineup. With the lackluster running back play since Emmitt Smith left, I have longed for the Cowboys to find a running back who can actually dominate the game.

Now, Dallas has DeMarco Murray and thankfully Jason Garrett knows what he has and did not plug Felix Jones(notes) back into the starting lineup because Dallas needs Murray to win the NFC East.

But, as much as I love the fact that Murray is getting his due, I feel that Jones needs to play as well. In his first game back from injury, Jones finished with five carries for 18 yards. In his second, he got one reception. This is not the proper way to utilize someone of Jones’ capabilities.

Murray needs to get 20 or more carries a game and I am fine with that. But Jones needs to get a few runs as well. Jones also needs to be utilized out of the backfield as a receiver. I know Murray is doing fine in that regard but I was a fan of Murray at the University of Oklahoma and he can get hurt if he is over-utilized. There is no reason that Jones can’t be a weapon like Darren Sproles(notes) is in New Orleans.

The reason they dumped Tashard Choice(notes) was because he was too similar to Murray in size and running abilities. They knew they needed a thunder and lightning combination, to steal a name from the New York Giants. Of course, Choice also fumbles and has already proven to be unwanted when the Redskins dumped him as well. But Dallas knew that Murray and Jones were just different enough to give them two distinct weapons in the lineup.

Murray needs to continue to get his 20 carries a game but let Jones get involved as well. Jones can’t do the goal line, but on a second and long, he might be a good person to throw a screen to or execute a draw up the middle. It is just as I expected when the season began. As much as he wants it, Jones is not an every down back but he is still a dangerous weapon. Dallas just needs to figure out how to use him.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has followed the Dallas Cowboys since he was a child, his favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s. Through the great years of the ’90s and the hard times of the ’80s, Shawn never turned his back on America’s Team.

Source: Dallas Cowboys

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The Game

The Dallas Cowboys edged the Washington Redskins by a score of 27 to 24 as the Redskins downward spiral continued. For more than a month, the Redskins have been in the doldrums. The Redskins started out red hot winning 3 of their first 4 games. Since then, they have lost six straight and are now at 3 wins and 7 losses. They are out of the playoff contention and the season is basically over. It is the longest losing streak since Dan Synder owned the team, and the longest losing streak in Mike Shanahan’s head coaching career.

Characteristically, the Redskins gave the Cowboys a great fight as the Redskins-Cowboys rivalry is still alive and well. The Redskins scored more points than in their three previous games.

Tired of Losing

I live in Pennsylvania and I have the mighty Steelers and the hopeless Eagles to cheer for, so many are wondering why I care about the Redskins. It is because I am a Redskins fan and Redskins fans are a special breed. As a matter of fact, I am so tired of the Redskins losing that I decided to take matters into my own hands. I went to the Redskins website and I sent a message to General Manager Bruce Allen. I said the Redskins really need a franchise quarterback and suggested that he use his first round draft pick to acquire one. He replied that he had received many similar suggestions. Hopefully, the Redskins will draft a franchise quarterback and build a Super Bowl team. To understand what is so special about the Redskins and their fans, one must understand the culture where the Redskins play.

The Culture in Washington D.C.

Washington is a diverse and fascinating city and the Redskins are an integral part of the city. In Washington, the richest and most powerful people in the world and the country share the city with the poor and the powerless. In between them are the great middle class of government workers and military personnel. These groups have nothing in common and nothing to say to each other. There is only one thing that unites them and they can agree on: they love the Redskins and they want to see them win. The Washington Redskins unite their community like no other team in professional sports. To be a Redskins fan is to be part of that community, to have something in common with millions of people you have never met. It becomes an integral part of who you are and what you are. It gets in your blood and stays there as long as you live. I lived in Washington when they won their last two Super Bowls. The diverse people in the city stopped what they were doing to watch the Redskins win the Super Bowl. There was electricity in the air, the people were united like never before, and there was great camaraderie among the citizens. I left Washington years ago, but I still love the Redskins, follow every move they make, and I want to see them win.

A National Team

The Redskins have millions of fans across the country and are truly a national team. Millions and millions of Americans work for the Federal Government or serve in the military in Washington and then return home. Just about every military career includes a two year tour in Washington. When these American go back home, they take the Redskins home with them and this is the basis of their national following.

Source: Joseph White of the Associated Press, Romo leads Cowboys past Redskins, The Citizens’ Voice, November, 21, 2011.

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Read More: Tony Romo (QB – DAL), DeMarco Murray (RB – DAL), Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins have not shown up to play in any of the past few weeks, but fans are hoping that a rivalry game against the Dallas Cowboys will do the trick. The old cliche is that records do not matter when division rivals square off. Redskins fans are hoping that will be the case on Sunday,

The Redskins, of course, are reeling, having lost five straight games without even holding a lead. Dallas, meanwhile, is beginning to find itself, thanks to the superb running of DeMarco Murray. His emergence has allowed Tony Romo to thrive in the passing game. At 5-4, the Cowboys can close to a tie for first place in the NFC East with a win and a New York Giants loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football.

Here is everything you need to know about the game.

Teams: Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins.

Location: FedEx Field in Landover, Md.

Time: 1 p.m.

TV Information: FOX.

Announcers: Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa.

Radio: ESPN 980 AM.

For more on the Redskins, please visit Hogs Haven, SB Nation’s Redskins blog. For more on the Cowboys, please visit SB Nation Dallas and Blogging the Boys, SB Nation’s cowboys blog. For coverage of Sunday’s Redskins/Cowboys matchup, please visit this StoryStream.

Read More: Miles Austin (WR – DAL), Mike Jenkins (CB – DAL), Sean Lee (LB – DAL), Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins

The Dallas Cowboys are entering an easier stretch of their schedule, but will be playing the Redskins in Week 11 without Miles Austin and Mike Jenkins, according to the team injury report.

Austin and Jenkins are each out for the NFC East rivalry game with the Redskins on Sunday with hamstring injuries. Austin’s injury has led to the emergence of receiver Laurent Robinson, who has 13 catches for 208 yards and four touchdowns in the Cowboys’ last three games, while Jenkins’ injury has left the Cowboys without one of their best cover corners.

The good news for Dallas is that linebacker Sean Lee is probable for Week 11. Lee returned from injury in Week 10 against the Buffalo Bills, but made just three tackles, well under his season averages.

Here’s the rest of the Cowboys injury report for Week 11:

OUT: Wide receiver Miles Austin (hamstring), cornerback Mike Jenkins (hamstring), fullback Tony Fiammetta (illness).

DOUBTFUL: Quarterback Jon Kitna (back).

QUESTIONABLE: Running back Felix Jones (ankle), guard Kyle Kosier (foot).

PROBABLE: Linebacker Sean Lee (wrist), punter Mat McBriar (left foot).

For more on the Cowboys, head to Blogging the Boys; for more on the Redskins, visit Hogs Haven.