Peek at the Week: Could Washington be a contender? You'll find out in Dallas

Game of the week

Washington at Dallas, 4:15 p.m. ET | Preview

The line: Cowboys by 11½

Jason Campbell will have to be at his efficient best for the Redskins to take down the Cowboys. (AP)

The story: The Redskins haven't lost in two weeks. The Cowboys haven't lost, period. This is a barometer of the NFC East to see if we're really missing something when we don't include Washington among the division heavyweights.

The problem for the Redskins is that to beat Dallas you must slow down Tony Romo, and to slow down Tony Romo you must pressure the pocket. Sounds like a job for Jason Taylor ... only Taylor isn't playing. So that's a concern.

The good news is the Redskins don't make silly mistakes, with a plus-5 turnover ratio. If Jason Campbell plays as he did the past two weeks, they have a chance. Of course, if Romo plays the way he did the past three weeks, they don't.

Memo to Washington's Greg Blache: While you're trying to figure out how to defend Romo, try stopping Marion Barber and Felix Jones, too. Wait a minute, I almost forgot about Terrell Owens and Jason Witten and ... Miles Austin?. There are too many weapons here to count, and that could confound the Redskins.

Something to consider: When Barber has 11 or more carries the Cowboys are 22-1.

Three games I'd like to see

Minnesota at Tennessee, 1 p.m. ET | Preview | Endzone

The line: Titans by 2½

Cortland Finnegan leads the Titans with four picks. (Getty Images)

The story: Take a good, long look at these two. You can't tell them apart. They're mirror images of themselves, with Tennessee built around an exceptional young running back, solid run defense and a veteran quarterback. Sound familiar?

The difference, of course, is the record. Tennessee hasn't lost. Minnesota finally won last week.

The Vikings are in the middle of a three-week grind of Carolina, Tennessee and New Orleans, and two wins would constitute a pass. So here's the test: Can the league's third-ranked run defense stop Chris Johnson -- this year's Adrian Peterson -- from flying away, and, if it can, what does Kerry Collins do about it?

From Tennessee's perspective, it absolutely must shut down Peterson and Chester Taylor because the burden of proof then falls on quarterback Gus Frerotte -- and Tennessee leads the league with seven interceptions. Low score. Close game. Turnovers could be the difference.

Something to consider: The Titans lead the league in red-zone offense; the Vikings are last.

Green Bay at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m. ET | Preview

The line: Tampa Bay by 1½

Earnest Graham is a formidable runner at home. (Getty Images)

The story: Once upon a time the Packers seemed this close to dealing Brett Favre to Tampa Bay, but it never happened. And because it never happened we have another NFC North castoff, Brian Griese, quarterbacking the Bucs.

So Griese starts against his former team, Chicago, and wins with a valiant fourth-quarter effort. But if he has to throw 67 times again, I'm calling Joe Maddon and getting someone from the Rays to talk to Jon Gruden about pitch counts.

Griese has never lost to Green Bay (he's 3-0) and seems more comfortable, more resilient, more confident in Gruden's offense. Of course, one difference between the Griese here and the Griese in Chicago is that he has a legitimate rushing attack. Look for a big game from Earnest Graham, especially with the Bucs at home. In his past four starts there here he has 394 yards rushing and four TDs.

Also look for a busy game from Tramon Williams. He's the guy who will step in for Green Bay's Al Harris at right cornerback, and if you can't find him look for the Packer with a target on his jersey. Griese will.

Something to consider: Since 2002 the Bucs are 17-0 when not committing a turnover.

Philadelphia at Chicago, 8:15 p.m. ET | Preview

The line: Philadelphia by 2½

Matt Forte might find running room scarce vs. Philly. (Getty Images)

The story: The Eagles won without Brian Westbrook last week because their defense turned Ben Roethlisberger into a piñata, sacking him eight times. Let's see that happen again. It won't, which means this game will be harder for Philadelphia than you might think.

If Westbrook doesn't play because of an injured ankle, the Eagles will have to rely on ... whom? Correll Buckhalter? DeSean Jackson? Hank Baskett? Somebody must come to Donovan McNabb's rescue, and maybe it's defensive coordinator Jim Johnson again.

Chicago is better than its 1-2 record. In fact, the Bears could be 3-0. Heck, they should be 2-1. But they blew the past two games when their defense wilted in the fourth quarter.

I don't worry about the defense here so much as I do running back Matt Forte. The reason: The Eagles have the league's best run defense, and we saw what happened when Pittsburgh tried to turn loose Willie Parker. No can do. No Matt Forte means Kyle Orton becomes your offense and good luck.

Something to consider: Philadelphia cornerback Asante Samuel has a league-best 18 interceptions since 2006, including two in the past two games.

Why Mondays shouldn't get you down

Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 8:30 p.m. ET | Preview

The line: Steelers by 7½

Don't let Joe Flacco's zero TD passes fool you. (Getty Images)

The story: This was not supposed to be a division showdown, but pass the standings, please. That is Baltimore -- undefeated Baltimore -- at the top of the AFC North, not Pittsburgh.

The Ravens are the same team we've seen for years, except now they have a quarterback they can trust. That's rookie Joe Flacco running and blocking for touchdowns. Now, if he could just throw for one. Yep, these are your new and improved Ravens, and if you don't believe it look at the time of possession: a whopping 37:02, best in the NFL.

But it's not Flacco and the Baltimore offense under fire here; it's Ben Roethlisberger, sacked eight times and beaten into retreat by Philadelphia. Either the Steelers change their pass protection, or Big Ben makes an early appearance at Allegheny General on Monday.

One of the problems last weekend was the Steelers couldn't back off Philadelphia with the run, and I don't see how they do it here without Willie Parker. If that means more Roethlisberger passes, would somebody please help the poor guy out by calling a screen or three-step drop once in awhile?

Something to consider: Dating back to 1992, the Steelers have won their past 13 Monday night home games.

Crummy game of the week

Cleveland at Cincinnati, 1 p.m. ET | Preview

The line: Bengals by 3½

Don't expect a repeat of last year's shootout. (US Presswire)

The story: Three months ago this looked like a decent game. Then Ohio decided to outlaw offense, handcuff its quarterbacks and declare pro football stadiums no-fly zones. Unfortunately, the Browns and Bengals were only too willing to comply. Cleveland has two offensive touchdowns in 33 series. The Bengals had one in their first two games.

A year ago these two produced 96 points and 1,085 yards in a memorable September showdown that launched Derek Anderson and the Browns. Now, they have 66 points between them, and that should tell you what to expect from this week's Sominex Bowl. Uh-huh, nothing.

The subplot here involves the Browns' Anderson, who must win to keep his job. Otherwise, the countdown to Brady Quinn begins. Another subplot involves the Bengals' Chad Johnson. There's an imposter wearing his No. 85 jersey and doing nothing. Worse, nobody seems to care. First one to 14 wins.

Something to consider: The Bengals have four straight wins over Cleveland at home.

Upset of the week

Arizona over the N.Y. Jets | Preview

The line: Jets by 2½

Wait until Kurt Warner gets a read on the Jets' DBs. (Getty Images)

The story: So the Cardinals don't travel well. They won their first road game this season and might've won last weekend in Washington if they had gone for that fourth-and-4 from their 48 instead of punting the ball away. Anyway, live and learn.

What I like about the Cardinals is they spent the entire week on the East Coast, training at Washington's Catholic University. Smart. What I don't like is that the Jets had to fly across the country after getting walloped by San Diego on Monday night, and their quarterback, Brett Favre, is bothered by a sore ankle.

For all the attention given Favre this season, it's ageless Kurt Warner who's making the big plays ... and if Chris Chambers and Vincent Jackson can poke holes in the Jets' secondary, what happens when Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald show up? You're about to see.

Something to consider: In six games against the Jets, running back Edgerrin James has four 100-yard performances and 801 yards from scrimmage, and his teams are 5-1.

Games within the games

Calvin Pace vs. the Cardinals. A former Arizona first-round draft pick, he spent five seasons there before escaping earlier this year. Here's his chance to demonstrate why he's worth the big bucks.

Steven Jackson sees no reason for the Rams' QB switch. (Getty Images)

Rod Marinelli vs. the clock. The Lions' head coach has 13 games to prove he belongs to whoever winds up running this team. Remember, it was Matt Millen who hired him, so Marinelli is in -- how shall we put this? -- a delicate spot. Just win, baby.

Romeo Crennel vs. Jim Brown. The Browns' Hall of Fame back, now an executive adviser for the team, earlier this week said the organization agreed it was time to start Brady Quinn. Apparently, someone forgot to check with the head coach.

Steven Jackson vs. Scott Linehan. The Rams running back isn't exactly on board with Linehan's move to bench quarterback Marc Bulger, calling it "the wrong decision" on his radio show Thursday night and hinting that Bulger might not return to the starting lineup if and when that time comes. Can you say, "mutiny?" The guy I feel for is Trent Green. He has a history of concussions and now must play behind an offensive line with more holes than the ozone layer.

Lane Kiffin vs. Al Davis. Here we go again, with Kiffin still swinging in the breeze -- only this time the Raiders have a bye after this weekend. Guaranteed, by Monday there will be reports he's getting whacked. Endzone

Five guys I want to be this weekend

Carolina WR Steve Smith. He's aiming for his fourth straight home game with eight or more catches.

L.T. has eight 100-yard games against the Raiders. (Getty Images)

Cleveland WR Braylon Edwards. So he has had a disappointing season. He is playing the Bengals. In each of his past two starts against them, he has produced eight or more catches and two TDs.

San Diego RB LaDainian Tomlinson. He is averaging 122.1 yards per game vs. the Raiders with 16 TDs. And he has 100-yard performances in three of his past four starts.

Dallas LB DeMarcus Ware. He's aiming for his fifth straight game against Washington with a sack.

Denver QB Jay Cutler. He's 2-0 against Kansas City, throwing five touchdown passes and a producing a 111.9 passer rating.

Just a hunch

One reason the Buffalo Bills haven't lost is ball control. They do it better than most out there, and you can look it up: In each of the past three games they had the ball more than 30 minutes, with last week's 34:27 the best of the bunch.

Marshawn Lynch helps the Bills control the ball. (Getty Images)

Now they draw the Rams as their opponent, and one reason St. Louis Rams can't win is -- surprise -- ball control. They haven't figured it out. They're last in rushing, last in first downs, last in third-down efficiency ... anyway, you get the idea.

They also hold the ball an average of 26:03, which puts them 30th in the league. Only Indianapolis and Cleveland are worse.

Just a hunch, but the Bills control the clock, the ball and the game.

Meaningful numbers

With Miami's defeat of the Patriots last weekend, the league's longest regular-season winning streak ended at 21. So now that New England is off the clock, any idea who holds the longest current winning streak?

If you said the Tennessee Titans, you qualify for a free lunch at the Coal Tower Restaurant in Pittsford, N.Y. The Titans won their final three regular-season starts in 2007 and their first three this year, which puts them at six -- and, yes, believe it or not, that's the NFL's best. Next in line is Denver with four.

Sunday's weather watch

Poll What is the best game of Week 4?   17%  Eagles at Bears     16%  Vikings at Titans     15%  Ravens at Steelers     41%  Redskins at Cowboys     12%  Packers at Buccaneers     Total Votes: 39895

• Charlotte: Partly cloudy, high 81.
• Cincinnati: Partly cloudy, high 81.
• Jacksonville: Mostly sunny, high 90.
• Kansas City: Mostly sunny, high 76.
• New Orleans: Dome
• East Rutherford, N.J.: Scattered thunderstorms, high 72.
• Tampa: Mostly cloudy, high 89
• Nashville: Sunny, high 83.
• Oakland: Sunny, high 78.
• St. Louis: Dome
• Dallas: Sunny, high 90.
• Chicago (night): Partly cloudy, high 70, low 59.
• Pittsburgh (night): Scattered clouds, high 76, low 58.

Where we will be

• Pete will be in Tampa to tell us which is dirtier -- the sidewalks of Manhattan or the Bucs' offensive linemen.

• I'll be in Nashville to serve as Emmylou Harris' chauffeur to the Vikings-Titans game.

• Gregg Doyel will be in Cincinnati to offer directions to the end zones.