NFL Team Reports: NFC East

Several times a week, The Trenches will present team reports from Sporting News’ 32 NFL correspondents. Check back each day for the latest news on your team.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins keep getting hit with bad injury news, as they found out RB Ladell Betts(notes) (knee) and RG Chad Rinehart(notes) (leg) are out for the season.

LeSean McCoy(notes)
SportingNews.com - Nov 19, 5:46 am EST

• NFL Gallery

Though RB Clinton Portis(notes) (concussion) won’t play Sunday at Philadelphia and might not play against New Orleans the following week, the Redskins aren’t ready to shut him down for the season. It’s the same with TE Chris Cooley(notes), who will be in a walking boot for another 10 days. The Redskins had hoped he might be able to return this week or next, but that won’t happen.

Because Rock Cartwright(notes) will start at running back, other players such as WR Devin Thomas(notes) will handle the kickoff return duties. Thomas offers a chance to be explosive in this area.

The team likely will start undrafted rookie Edwin Williams(notes) at right guard Sunday. Williams was a center in college and anchors well, but he and RT Stephon Heyer(notes) are not a strong pair and will be challenged by the Eagles’ blitzes.
— John Keim

Dallas Cowboys

Coach Wade Phillips said he was pleased with the performance of RT Doug Free(notes) and SS Alan Ball(notes) in the Cowboys’ 7-6 win over Washington. Free replaced Marc Colombo(notes) (leg, ankle), who’s out for the year, while Ball subbed for Ken Hamlin(notes), who’s expected to miss 1-3 weeks with a high ankle sprain.

Free, a fourth-round pick in 2007, made his first start and did a quality job of run-blocking and protecting Tony Romo(notes). Free was among the reasons the Cowboys rushed for nearly 150 yards. His only real miscue was missing a fourth-quarter block that allowed Marion Barber(notes) to be dropped for a loss on a third-and-1 play.

Ball did a good job against the run and was in position most of the time against the pass. He also had a hand in one of the game’s biggest plays, teaming with NT Jay Ratliff(notes) to stop Rock Cartwright on a third-and-1 draw midway through the fourth quarter.
— Jean-Jacques Taylor

New York Giants

The Giants snapped their four-game losing streak, but there is great concern about the state of the defense. In the second half against Atlanta, the Giants allowed the Falcons to convert on 8 of 10 third downs and did not make a single defensive stop, allowing three touchdowns and a field goal in four series.

The main problem is an inability to cover opposing receivers, with S Michael Johnson and Aaron Rouse(notes) failing to play the ball in the air.

There is a move the Giants can make. CB Aaron Ross(notes) played his first game of the season Sunday after battling hamstring issues and was used mostly at safety. Ross has limited college experience at the position but will be given additional looks there. The Giants hope his speed and ball-tracking ability make up for any issues he has in the tackling aspects of playing safety.
— Paul Schwartz

Philadelphia Eagles

CB Sheldon Brown(notes) played in his 134th straight game Sunday against Chicago—the second-longest active streak among NFL defensive backs—despite sustaining a Grade 1 hamstring strain the week before and made two pivotal pass breakups to help preserve the 24-20 victory.

Brown hasn’t missed a game since the club drafted him in 2002. His dedication is helping the team now more than ever, since a season-ending injury to reserve CB Ellis Hobbs(notes) and Joselio Hanson’s(notes) four-game suspension left the Eagles’ secondary depleted. The secondary took another hit against the Bears when CB Asante Samuel(notes) left and didn’t return after sustaining a minor neck injury.

For two more games until Hanson comes back, the nickel corner will be Dimitri Patterson(notes), a special teams standout who hadn’t logged many snaps on defense. The dime corner is Ramzee Robinson(notes), a free agent signed off the street three weeks ago. The team will have to keep compensating until Hanson returns and hope Samuel and Brown can stay healthy.
— Geoff Mosher

More from Sporting News: NFL Team Reports: AFC West