In Wednesday's Daily News, Les Bowen will offer his midseason grades by position for the Eagles. Here is his take on the coaching:

This team should be at least 6-2 right now, probably 7-1 and cruising.

The fact that it isn’t I put right at the feet of Andy Reid.

The shortcomings remain the same: Not enough balance in the offense most days, inability to adjust on the fly, poor time management. Reid deserves credit, of course, for assembling a group that might be capable of being 7-1, a youngish bunch that has a future, even if that future comes with Kevin Kolb running the show. For that reason, if the Eagles make the playoffs, Reid will get, and probably deserves, a contract extension.

But we’re handing out a midseason coaching grade, and Reid is responsible for the coordinators and position coaches, since he hired them. Moise Fokou doesn’t know he can’t cut-block during an interception return? Jeremiah Trotter can’t just step right onto the field after nearly a 2-year layoff and cover a tight end deep? You often need a timeout to transition in or out of the Wildcat?

Grade: C-

Click here for the full rundown

To vote, click here. We will post the results later today.

Eagles quarterback Michael Vick will be allowed to keep more than $16 million in roster bonuses from the Atlanta Falcons, a federal appeals court has decided, backing the lower court's ruling, according to the Associated Press.

According to the report, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Minneapolis affirmed Judge David Doty’s order saying Vick had already earned the bonuses before his dogfighting conviction, so the money wasn’t subject to forfeiture.

The NFL had sought to end Doty's oversight of the collective bargaining agreement after the Vick ruling, accursing him of bias. The appeals court rejected that claim.

Chicago-Eagles start time

Flexible scheduling begins with the games of Nov. 22, but NBC has decided to keep the Eagles game at Chicago as the night game, rather than select another game.

Puzzle at linebacker

Starting weakside linebacker Akeem Jordan, the only starter remaining from the group that began training camp, suffered a hyperextended knee and a bone bruise against the Cowboys, Andy Reid said.

Reid didn't offer a prognosis, but it would seem unlikely that Jordan would be able to play this Sunday at San Diego.

It isn't clear who would step in - Tracy White? Joe Mays? Moise Fokou, with strongside starter Chris Gocong expected to return to practice tomorrow (and then to play)? Suddenly, you have to wonder about that roster spot Jeremiah Trotter is occupying.

"We haven't determined anything on that yet," Reid said when asked who would play if Jordan is unable.

Asked if they are looking internally or externally for his potential replacement, the coach said, “We have to see how Akeem is first and then we’ll go from there.”

In case you're keeping score at home, original middle linebacker Stewart Bradley went down to an ACL tear Aug. 2. Trotter returned to the NFL during the bye week, not having played since 2007.

Bradley's replacement, Omar Gaither, was lost for the season to a Lisfranc sprain Oct. 18, leading to the acquisition of Will Witherspoon from St. Louis.

Fokou, a seventh-round rookie from Maryland, got his first career start Sunday for Gocong, who was suffering from quad and hamstring troubles.

The Eagles likely will start their fifth combination of linebackers in nine games Sunday.

Games 1-3: Gocong, Gaither, Jordan

Games 4-6: Gocong, Trotter, Jordan

Game 7: Gocong, Witherspoon, Jordan

Game 8: Fokou, Witherspoon, Jordan

*

As the Eagles get ready to face the Chargers, here is an interesting observation from Kevin Aces, of the San Diego Union-Tribune, about LaDainian Tomlinson:

LaDainian Tomlinson is still a player who can help the Chargers win, but it seems clear he can no longer win games for them and is likely closing out his final season in San Diego.

The Chargers are averaging 3.1 yards a carry, worst in the NFL. And unless they can start getting some leads and let Tomlinson and others pound the ball while the line gets in a rhythm, that doesn't look to get much better.

Sunday was the fourth time this season the Chargers rushed 21 times or fewer. They are on pace to rush just 364 times, which would be their fewest since 2000 and third-lowest total ever.

*

To read Domo's Second Take from Eagles-Cowboys, click here.

LeSean McCoy runs past Dallas Cowboys' Gerald Sensabaugh during the second quarter. (David Maialetti / Staff Photographer)

Some thoughts and observations after reviewing the tape of the Eagles’ 20-16 loss to the Cowboys:

This Is Just Me

Andy Reid made his share of screwups Sunday, but I don’t think his decision to have David Akers kick a field goal on fourth-and-11 with 4 1/2 minutes left in the game was one of them.

Their chances of converting a fourth-and-11 weren’t particularly good. Even without any timeouts left, if their defense, which to that point had held the Cowboys to 56 rushing yards on 17 carries, had managed to force the Cowboys to go three-and-out, they would have gotten the ball back with enough time to score.

But a defense that already was missing strongside linebacker Chris Gocong, lost weakside linebacker Akeem Jordan on the kickoff after the Akers field goal.

On the Cowboys’ first play, running back Marion Barber ran for 16 yards. Picked up those 16 through a gap on the left side that was created when Fokou couldn’t get off a block by Jason Witten. Ran the same play again right after that. Again, Fokou couldn’t get off Witten’s block and Barber gained six yards. So much for hoping your defense could get you the ball back.

Still, kicking the field goal was the right move.

Did You Notice?

* LeSean McCoy and Leonard Weaver combined for 87 rushing yards on 21 carries against the Cowboys. All eight of Weaver’s rushing attempts came out of two-tight end sets. So did five of McCoy’s 13 carries. The other eight were split between two- and three-wide receiver sets with a single tight end.

* Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott threw a number of different fronts at the Cowboys on passing downs. He went with as few as two down-linemen and as many as five, often dropping linemen into coverage when linebackers or safeties came on blitzes. On one play, defensive end Juqua Parker wound up covering wide receiver Roy Williams. There is a risk with doing that, though. That was apparent late in the first half when linebacker Tracy White ran into defensive end Chris Clemons as he was trying to run across to pick up wide receiver Patrick Crayton in coverage. The collision allowed Crayton to get free down the field for a 64-yard catch and run that set up a Nick Folk field goal.

 * Free safety Sean Jones tipped the blitz too early on the third play of the game. Quarterback Tony Romo saw it and hit Roy Williams with a 21-yard slant in the area Jones vacated.

* The Cowboys used the Wildcat formation four times Sunday, with running back Tashard Choice taking the direct snap. On all four plays, they had a guard pulling. On the first, a seven-yard gain by Choice that was wiped out by a holding call, left guard Kyle Kosier pulled. On the second, Choice’s two-yard touchdown run, right guard Leonard Davis pulled and took out linebacker Moise Fokou. On the third one, a nine-yard run to the left by Choice in the second quarter, Kosier pulled again and took out weakside linebacker Akeem Jordan. Davis pulled again on the fourth one, a two-yard run by Choice for a first down on a second-and-one play in the second quarter.

* The effective way the Cowboys countered a lot of the Eagles’ blitz packages with wide-receiver screens. Kevin Ogletree, who had just one reception in the Cowboys’ first seven games, had two catches for 38 yards Sunday. Both of his catches – a 21-yarder and a 17-yarder – came on wide receiver screens. Both also came on third-and-longs.

* Defensive end Jason Babin had another good game. Babin, who was signed in August and was inactive for four of the first five games, has played the last three weeks because of an injury to Victor Abiamiri. He collected his third sack in as many games Sunday and also had a couple of pressures. He was used some at left end in the Eagles’ base package and also as an inside rusher in their nickel package. He got his sack at tackle in a five-man front, beating Cowboys left guard Kyle Kosier and nailing Tony Romo for a seven-yard loss on a third-and-8 play in the second quarter.

* The difference between Brian Westbrook and LeSean McCoy was clear on a second-and-one run by McCoy in the fourth quarter, two plays before the infamous fourth-and-one replay challenge. McCoy didn’t have a lot of running room, but had enough to pick up the first down. But he started making like Barry Sanders rather than just putting his head down and driving forward for the first down. He ended up being stopped for no gain. On the next play, McCoy failed to follow his lead blocker, Leonard Weaver, and was stopped for no gain again. McCoy also had a costly drop on a second-and-10 screen pass on the Eagles’ final possession

Fokou’s Day

Moise Fokou, the seventh-round rookie who started at strongside linebacker in place of injured Chris Gocong, had a tough day.

He had two costly third-quarter penalties that wiped out big gains. He was called for holding on Ellis Hobbs’ 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at the beginning of the second half. He also was penalized for a low block on Sheldon Brown’s interception. Brown returned the interception 54 yards to the Dallas 35. Fokou’s penalty brought the ball back to the Eagles' 12.

Fokou also struggled against the run. He got blown up by pulling guard Leonard Davis on Choice’s two-yard touchdown run out of the Wildcat in the first quarter, and also couldn’t get off blocks on Marion Barber’s two game-clinching runs on the Cowboys’ final possession.

McNabb Watch

A week ago against the Giants, the Eagles quarterback turned in one of the best performances of his career. Sunday, well, this one was closer to the way he played in Washington and Oakland. Completed just 16 of 30 passes and had his first regular-season multiple-interception game since he was benched in Baltimore last November. Threw some good balls, threw some bad balls. A quick look at Donnie Mac’s day:

* His second pass, to DeSean Jackson, was nearly intercepted by Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman. To be fair, it wasn’t all his fault. Jackson ran a poor route that allowed Newman to cut in front of him.

* His first interception went off of Jeremy Maclin’s hands and into the waiting arms of Cowboys strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh. Yes, McNabb could’ve used a little more touch on the pass instead of making like Nolan Ryan. But the rookie should’ve caught the ball. He’s had plenty of time to get used to McNabb’s fastballs.

* McNabb’s poor third-and-one toss to tight end Alex Smith on the Eagles’ second possession set the tone for the Eagles’ 4-for-12 third-down day. McNabb ran a boot to the right. But it didn’t fool linebacker DeMarcus Ware. McNabb attempted an awkward jump pass to get the ball over Ware. But the pass was too high for Smith to catch.

* One of McNabb’s worst passes of the night probably was a first-down throw to Jeremy Macline late in the first quarter. McNabb had time, but his mechanics went south and he ended up throwing the ball into the ground about seven yards in front of Maclin. Two plays later, though, he made an outstanding pass in tight coverage to wide receiver Jason Avant, who picked up 23 yards and a first down. Followed that with a 20-yard strike down the middle to tight end Brent Celek.

* McNabb had DeSean Jackson wide open down the field on a post route on the play after Celek’s catch. Probably would’ve been seven points. But DeMarcus Ware beat Todd Herremans, who had moved from left guard to left tackle after Jason Peters got hurt. Ware hit McNabb from behind just as he was releasing the pass, causing it to go astray.

* In the third quarter, McNabb had Jackson open again on a crossing route and threw behind him. No pressure on the play. He had a clear passing lane to Jackson. Just threw a bad ball.

* McNabb made one of his nicer throws early in the fourth quarter on a sideline pass to Jeremy Maclin on a third-and-12 play. McNabb got the ball over the linebacker and to Maclin, who made a nice catch.

The Sacks

McNabb was sacked four times Sunday. That brings the number of sacks allowed by the Eagles this season to 21, which is just two fewer than they gave up all of last season. A look at Sunday’s four sacks:

* The first one wasn’t really a sack. Flushed out of the pocket and with no one open, McNabb took off to the left and ran out of bounds for a one-yard loss. Linebacker Keith Brooking, who was the closest player to McNabb, was credited with the sack.

* The second one, a seven-yard sack by nose tackle Jay Ratliff, was a team effort. Ratliff ran a stunt behind blitzing linebacker Steve Octavien. Technically, he beat right guard Stacy Andrews. But right tackle Winston Justice gave up too much ground to Octavien, which allowed Ratliff to come around the corner clean. McNabb might’ve been able to step up in the pocket to avoid the rush, but defensive end Steven Bowen had beaten Herremans, who was still at left guard then, and there was no pocket.

* No team effort on the third one. Andrews just got flat-out beat by Ratliff, who sacked McNabb for a 10-yard loss. The Eagles had to settle for a 45-yard David Akers field goal.

* The last one came on the Eagles’ final possession, a third-and-10 play in which he was flushed from the pocket, appeared to have running room to the right, but was tripped up by diving linebacker Victor Butler for a one-yard loss.

By the Numbers

* The Cowboys converted 7 of 15 third-down opportunities against the Eagles, including a pair of important third-and-14s, a third-and-9 and a third-and-8. Romo’s 49-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Miles Austin came on a third-and-14. So did Ogletree’s 17-yard catch-and-run. His 21-yard catch came on third-and-9.

* After going three straight games without a turnover, the Eagles have committed four of them in the last two games.

* Since last November’s loss to the Ravens, the Eagles had converted 26 of 31 third downs of two yards or less going into Sunday night’s game. They were 1-4 against the Cowboys. Also failed to convert a fourth-and-one. Or so the zebras claimed.

* The Eagles have had 13 scoring drives of 7 plays or more this season. Just three of them have resulted in touchdowns.

* The Cowboys, who picked off Donovan McNabb twice Sunday, had just four interceptions in their first seven games.

* Before Sunday, the Cowboys were just 11-11 in games in which Tony Romo was sacked more than once. He was sacked four times by the Eagles.

Oddest Play Call

Reid called pass play on two of four third-and-short situations Sunday. Yet, faced with a third-and-four at the Dallas 31 with two minutes left in the first half, he went with a run play to McCoy out of a three-wide receiver formation. McCoy gained just one yard, and the Eagles had to settle for a David Akers field goal. The play actually might’ve worked if right tackle Winston Justice had done a better job of blocking. He pulled on the play, but got crushed by defensive end Stephen Bowen, who buckled Justice’s knees and made the play on McCoy.

*
 

To read our report from Andy Reid's Monday news conference, click here.

Brian Westbrook has been treated for swelling in his oft-injured right ankle, which could keep him out of Wednesday's practice, but coach Andy Reid said the reason Westbrook did not play against Dallas on Sunday night was strictly because of headaches.

“He was feeling it Friday afternoon,” Reid said. “The reason he didn’t play was because of the headache.”

Reid said that right now, Westbrook is expected to practice Wednesday.

“I’m telling you that sitting here today,” he said. “Right now. I just talked to him. He feels good. We’ll see … If he doesn’t go on Wednesday, that would be the case [because of the ankle] unless something crazy happens with his concussions.”
 

The other main subject of the day for Reid was close games.

The Eagles are 1-8-1 in their last 10 games decided by less than six points Reid was told.

“That’s a pretty good stat,” Reid said. “There is probably some form of a link. I’m not sure what that link is, other than that stat. We have to do better in those situations on both sides of the ball.”

Reid was asked if he thought the team lacked focus at the end of close games.

“I didn’t see that,” he said. “I see guys battling. I didn’t think that was the case. Maybe we’re trying too hard. That might be the problem. I’ve seen maximum effort out there. It looked the concentration was there and the guys were pretty focused.”

How about tightness or pressing?

“I didn’t necessarily feel a tightness, a press,” Reid said. “I don’t think that was the case, either.”

Other issues that arose in the aftermath of the Eagles’ loss:

 *On the infamous fourth-down spot that was the turning point of the Dallas loss, Reid indicated that he had learned the officials decided McNabb's elbow was down, apparently before he slid forward across the backs of linemen, McNabb then seeming to gain much more than enough for a first down, when he needed to gain about a foot.

The NFL rules read: "When a runner is contacted by a defensive player and he touches the ground with any part of his body except his hands or his feet, the ball shall be declared dead immediately." It certainly was impossible to discern any whistle being blown Sunday night before McNabb slid forward, and there still doesn't seem to be a camera angle that actually shows a McNabb elbow touching the ground, but that's the ruling, and it makes more sense than what Sunday night seemed to be a puzzling refusal to grant obvious forward progress.

UPDATED: Cancel that "makes more sense" thought. Just watched the replay, over and over again, on NFL.com.  Go watch it yourself, if you enjoy frustration. The "elbow" angle is nonsense. The whole time, McNabb's left elbow is on the backs of Cowboys, coming to rest on a Cowboy helmet. His right elbow is tilted up in the air. If that was the explanation the NFL gave Reid, he needs to insist on a better one.

Also, you can watch the previous play, the third-and-1 LeSean McCoy run, on which the Eagles didn't challenge the spot. Freeze the action and you can clearly see the ball at least even with TV's yellow line, as McCoy is hit. If the yellow line is right (and sometimes it isn't), McCoy had the first down.

* Kick returner and corner Ellis Hobbs is seeing a spinal surgeon about the neck injury he sustained against the Cowboys, which is never a good sign. Starting weakside linebacker Akeem Jordan has what Reid termed a "bone bruise" on his knee, which usually translates from Eaglespeak into a knee sprain that will keep Jordan out a while. The Eagles have already dipped pretty deep into a thin pool of linebackers, so that injury could really be trouble.

* The Birds were decimated by penalties and are now the fifth-most penalized team in the NFL. “You’ve got to discipline yourself to do that. You have to practice so those things don’t happen. It hasn’t been a lack of effort with the penalties, or concentration.” Reid said a lot of the penalties are “young player penalties” that you don’t see veterans commit.

* Asked about how Donovan McNabb could look so good one week and struggle the next, Reid said, “He had some nice throws and then there were some that were off.” He said he did not think McNabb’s ribs or wearing a flak jacket were a problem.

* Reid was asked about Michael Vick’s comments in an interview with NBC in which Vick said he thought it would be hard to return to the Eagles next season and that he is not a “Wildcat guy.” “Michael Vick was one of the very, very good quarterbacks in the National Football League,” Reid said. “That’s not what he is – a Wildcat player. He’s a quarterback, that’s what he is. But for this team here and giving him an opportunity to play and presenting another threat for defenses, he’s very good at that and enjoying doing that and having an opportunity to play. Asked if he was disappointed at Vick’s production thus far, Reid said, “I’m not disappointed at all. He has handled himself very well. I had no set number of plays that I was going to put him in.”

The Eagles' idea of the Wildcat seems to be for Vick to run between the tackles, which has never been his forte. He never seems to have a pass option, which is how most people envisioned this being successful for the Birds.

* On the Eagles being 5-3 at the midpoint. “There are eight more big games. We’re sitting here with a decent record and a good position. We have to just take care of business.”

TALKING POINTS

What we’re talking about the morning after the Eagles’ loss to the Cowboys:

* Tale of the concussed running back. Brian Westbrook was held out for the second straight game after experiencing what the Eagles described as “symptoms of a mild headache’’ on Friday. Too early to tell whether he’ll play against the Chargers.
 

* The fourth-and-1 decision. After failing to pick up a first down on a third-and-1 in the fourth quarter, Andy Reid decided to go for it on fourth-and-1. But the officials ruled that Donovan McNabb’s quarterback sneak came up short. The Cowboys got the ball back on a short field and drove down for the game-winning touchdown.
 

* The bad Donnie. A week after one of the best performances of his career in the Eagles’ win over the Giants, McNabb completed just 16 of 30 passes and threw two interceptions against the Cowboys. His accuracy ran hot and cold.
 

* Third-down struggles. The Eagles converted just four of 12 third-down opportunities against the Cowboys, and came up empty on three third downs or 2 yards or less.
 

* The disappearance of the kids. The Cowboys did an excellent job of neutralizing big-play receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. Each had just two receptions. No touchdowns.
 

5 NUMBERS TO PONDER

* It was the fifth time this season the Eagles had recorded at least three sacks. It was the first time they lost when they had that many. They now are 59-14-1 under Andy Reid when they’ve had three or more sacks in a game.

* Donovan McNabb, who completed just 16 of 30 passes, has completed 60-plus percent of his passes in just two of 18 games against the Cowboys.

* In their last four games, the Eagles have had the ball on their opponent’s side of the 50 on 24 of 49 possessions. They’ve scored 13 times and just three of those scores were touchdowns.

* The Cowboys were only the second team this season to score more than 17 points against the Eagles.

* The Eagles held the Cowboys to 3.3 yards per carry. They’ve allowed more than 4 yards per carry in just two games this season — New Orleans (4.6) and the Giants (4.4).

UP NEXT

The Eagles head to San Diego to face the Chargers, who stunned the Giants, 21-20, with a touchdown in the final minute Sunday. Eagles coach Andy Reid was clear after last night's Eagles loss that the team needed to be more focused for this West Coast trip than they were the last time the Birds went to the West Coast - a bad loss to Oakland.

The Chargers have won three straight games after a 2-3 start.

"Our team is getting better" coach Norv Turner said. "We’ve gotten better each of the last weeks since the bye. It’s nice to win a close game. It’s nice to win a game this way because I think when you win a game this way, it builds on your confidence and you know you can. We have won games like this in the past, but this one is very, very special in terms of the way it was going in the fourth quarter. It’s something, in my mind, we need to build on because I don’t think we are anywhere near as a good as we can be. We have a lot of new and young players playing. I know I say that every week, but they’re a week older right now."

*

To read Domo's Eagles-Cowboys report card, click here

Rich Hofmann chats Eagles at 1:30 today on the main philly.com page.

Check back later for a report from Andy Reid's day-after news conference and for Domo's Second Take, as he reviews the video from last night's game.

RUSHING OFFENSE: While LeSean McCoy and Leonard Weaver both had some success on the ground, the Eagles couldn’t get a yard when they needed it in the fourth quarter, getting stopped for no gain on third-and-one and fourth-and-one. Grade: C

PASSING OFFENSE: The accuracy Donovan McNabb showed last week against the Giants disappeared against the Cowboys. He threw just his second and third interceptions of the season. Grade: D

RUN DEFENSE: The Eagles did a good job shutting down the Cowboys’ ground game. They held them to 3.3 yards per carry in the first three quarters. Grade: A-minus

PASS DEFENSE: The Eagles held Tony Romo without a touchdown pass for 3 quarters, but then Miles Austin beat Sheldon Brown on a double move for the game-winning TD in the fourth quarter. Grade: C

SPECIAL TEAMS: David Akers made all three of his field goal attempts, including a 52-yarder in the fourth quarter. The Eagles did a good job of neutralizing Cowboys punt returner Patrick Crayton. Grade: A-minus

OVERALL: DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin were held to just 2 receptions. Donovan McNabb had his first regular-season multiple-interception performance since the Baltimore debacle last November. Grade: C-minus

To read Andy Reid's postgame comments, including a Brian Westbrook update, click here

Here is a sampling of what Eagles coach Andy Reid had to say after the game:

"There were some good things and some bad things. There were some things that were close that could have gone on either way and didn't go our way.

On the challenges: Hindsight is 20-20. You probably would like to have those back. They didn't go the way I anticipated . I can't go into the challenges unless you are willing to pay for it. I'm seeing there and then have feedback upstairs.

On the mistakes: We had too many penalties period. We need to do a better job ... We had too many mistakes. We'll get back on the horse.

On DeSean Jackson being contained: "They did a good job of rolling the coverage to him."

On kicking the late field goal: "Listen I thought we could hold them with four minutes left and come back and win the game, but it didn't work out that way.

On the Cowboys: "We knew it was going to be two heavyweights swinging at each other and that's what it was. tough hard-fought game ... They got the better of us today."

On the offense: "I thought they did a decent job of covering us down the field. That's going to happen. You have to work your way through the progression. With their skill up front you have to do that quickly. We could have better plays in there from my standpoint. Everybody had a little peice of it. That's the way it happens in games like this. You gotta keep battling through it."

On Miles Austin's TD: "They had a double move there. Sheldon played a heck of a game, but they got him a with a double move there. It happens."

On Westbrook: "He felt good during the week. He practiced during the week. It's a crazy deal. I know this. If he has those, I'm going to go more on the conversative side and take every precautionary measure possible. I'm not going to stick him out there, even if the tests are positive."

Asked if he felt one got away, he said: "One did get away, but it's not the end of the season." He said the Eagles have to refocus to go to the West Coast next week against San Diego and do better than they did at Oakland."

Updating: The Eagles got within 7-6, following a 48-yard David Akers field goal that capped a 54-yard drive, 12 plays plus one penalty, lots of good momentum for the running game.Things looked better, especially with Jason Peters returning at the 2-minute warning. Apparently, those ankle X-rays were negative.

Then, though, the defense got shaky. First it allowed a 64-yard Tony Romo completion to Patrick Crayton. Then, for the second time in the game, the Cowboys set up points by converting a long third down on an inside screen to wideout Kevin Ogletree. Maybe after halftime, the Birds will have figured that one out.

It's 10-6 Cowboys at the half, following a 22-yard Nick Folk field goal.

Earlier: Well, we're into the second quarter and the Cowboys are still winning, 7-3 now, after a 45-yard David Akers field goal.

Most ominous development so far was when Jay Ratliff rolled up Jason Peters' ankle while sacking Donovan McNabb. Peters did not go to the locker room right away, instead getting retaped, but now he's inside getting an ankle X-ray. Todd Herremans moved to Peters' left tackle spot, Nick Cole moved from right to left guard, and Stacy Andrews came in for Cole at right guard. Andrews just gave up a sack to Jay Ratliff, killing the Birds' drive and making the field goal tougher than it should have been.

Earlier: The Eagles are down 7-0, thanks to a pass that rookie wideout Jeremy Maclin volleyballed off his hands to Dallas's Gerald Sensabaugh, setting the Cowboys up at the Birds' 37.

Seven plays later, Tashard Choice took a Wildcat snap through a large hole left of center, from 2 yards out. Several times so far, the Eagles have used a funky defensive lineup that features 3, 2, or no down linemen. It hasn't worked great. In fact, the no-down-linemen version surrendered a 21-yard screen completion to Kevin Ogletreee on third and 9 from the Eagles' 23; Dallas didn't seem taken aback, or confused.

Stay tuned.

UPDATED: Brian Westbrook will not play tonight vs. Dallas.

The Eagles released a statement from head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder, regarding Brian Westbrook's condition moments ago. It reads:

"On Friday afternoon Brian began experiencing symptoms of a mild headache. From that point forward, we had Brian re-evaluated by (team internist) Dr. Gary Dorshimer and we put him through extensive testing. Even though those tests were determined to be negative, we all thought it would be in the best interests of Brian and the team that he should be deactivated for tonight's game. We will continue to evaluate Brian this week"

Also, linebacker Chris Gocong is inactive with hamstring and quad injuries, suffered against the Giants. Rookie Moise Fokou will start in his place.

The other inactives: Kevin Curtis, Victor Abiamiri, Max Jean-Gilles, Mike McGlynn, Dmitri Patterson and P.J. Hill.

All three quarterbacks are active. 

Earlier:

Eagles running back Brian Westbrook is not expected to play tonight against Dallas, ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting, citing two league sources. ESPN said a team spokesman was noncommital; the team spokesman told the Daily News that the Westbrook information "isn't coming from us" and that Westbrook's status will be updated about 90 minutes before gametime, when the inactives are announced.

Westbrook missed last week's game against the Giants after suffering a concussion the previous Monday against Washington. Westbook practiced Wednesday and Thursday, but was held out Friday.

Coach Andy Reid said Friday that Westbrook had not suffered any setbacks after taking most of the reps on consecutive days. Reid said Westbrook sat to give rookie running back LeSean McCoy some first-team practice reps. Reid also said Westbrook was not having headaches. Nonetheless, the team listed Westbrook as "questionable" for tonight's game, which raised faint alarm bells..

If Westbrook indeed does not play, you have to wonder if some sort of setback did occur between Thursday and Friday, despite Reid's denial. Westbrook's agent, Todd France, did not respond to requests for comment from the Daily News Sunday.

The Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys tonight in an NFC East showdown with first place on the line.

Look for updates here on Eagletarian throughout the game, but let's get started with our staff predictions, key matchups and more.

STAFF PREDICTIONS

Les Bowen: Eagles, 28-23

Ed Barkowitz: Eagles, 27-21

Bill Conlin: Eagles, 24-17

Paul Domowitch: Eagles, 31-20

Marcus Hayes: Eagles, 24-20

Mike Kern: Eagles, 27-20

Vegas Vic: Eagles, 30-24

VIEW FROM DALLAS

Here are the selections of the football writers from the Dallas Morning News:

Todd Archer: Eagles, 35-30

Tim Colishaw: Cowboys, 26-21

Gerry Fraley: Cowboys, 27-24

Rick Gosselin: Eagles, 27-24

Bill Nichols: Cowboys, 24-21

David Moore: Eagles, 34-31

Kevin Sherrington: Eagles, 24-21

Jean Jacques Taylor: Eagles, 38-28

SUNDAY NIGHT VIEWS

If you are looking for trends, the Eagles are 0-6 since NBC took over the Sunday night football package. The Cowboys are 8-2, incuding a loss to the Giants earlier this season.

Rodney Harrison on who will win: "I like the Eagles. This is the Dallas Cowboys biggest test yet, especially Tony Romo. He's going to see a host of blitzes. They're going to disguise coverage and come from all over the place. They're going to try and pressure and knock him in the mouth."

Tony Dungy on the NFC East's best team: "I like Philadelphia because I think Dallas still has some weaknesses in the secondary. You can see a ton of big plays from Philly's receivers this week."

DOMO'S KEY MATCHUPS

1. Eagles LT Jason Peters vs. Cowboys LB DeMarcus Ware: Ware will line up on both ends, but probably will spend the majority of time on Peters' side. He's one of the league best pass rushers. Peters has been up and down. He gave up both of the Eagles' sacks last week. Advantage: Cowboys

2. Eagles WRs DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin vs. Cowboys CBs Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins: Newman and Jenkins are good corners, but they're going to need help from their pass rush to neutralize the two young speedsters. Advantage: Eagles

3. Eagles FS Sean Jones vs. Cowboys TE Jason Witten: One of the main reasons Jones has replaced Macho Harris is because of the problems the Eagles have been having vs. opposing TEs. Witten's got 37 catches, but just one TD. Advantage: Cowboys