PLAYER MATCHUP OF THE WEEK: Cowboys QB Tony Romo vs. Eagles pass defense
Romo's late-season woes continue. He's 1-2 in December and 5-9 in the months of December and January in his three seasons as a starter. He is completing 58.6 percent of his passes with 16 touchdowns, 19 interceptions, three lost fumbles and 34 sacks in those 14 games. But he isn't discouraged, telling reporters, "Here's an easy analogy: Joe Montana wasn't Joe Montana before he won a Super Bowl." Romo needs to worry about making the playoffs first. A victory in Philadelphia today gets Dallas in.
COACHING MATCHUP OF THE WEEK: Cowboys coach Wade Phillips vs. Eagles coach Andy Reid
Two pretty good coaches are under fire. Reid's Eagles are 8-6-1 and likely will miss the playoffs for the third time in four seasons. Phillips' struggling Cowboys can make the playoffs but need to win at Philadelphia to guarantee only a wild-card berth. Even that's a letdown for a popular preseason pick to win the Super Bowl. To make the playoffs, the Eagles need to beat Dallas and have the Bucs lose to the Raiders and the Bears lose to the Texans.
HERO OF THE WEEK: Chad Pennington, QB, Dolphins
Pennington called today's winner-take-all AFC East showdown between Miami and his former team, the Jets, "fate." The Jets are at home but have struggled of late while the surprising Dolphins are surging. Jets QB Brett Favre, who made Pennington expendable in New York, has a league-high 19 interceptions. Pennington has only seven interceptions, which is tied for the fourth fewest in the league among regular quarterbacks.
