NFL Dallas Cowboys round up Giants

The biggest story to emerge from Week 13 of the NFL was the resurgence of the Dallas Cowboys who defeated the New York Giants 23-20. The insertion of Tony Romo has been a real catalyst for the NFC East team turning them from a 3-3 side to one who is 8-4. With Terrell Owens and kicker Martin Gramatica, the Cowboys look like the team where discarded players come to shine.

The Giants on the other hand have become a mess dropping their fourth straight game. It is a sign of how weak the NFC is that the Giants are still well and truly in playoff calculations if they are able to turn things around.

In the AFC the Indianapolis Colts lost their second game in two weeks after going down 20-17 to a Tennessee team who troubled them greatly the first time they met. The title of Best Team in the League which they used to hold is now the domain of the San Diego Chargers who won their sixth straight game after a 24-21 win in Buffalo.

The Bolts are led by LaDainian Tomlinson who is the dominant player in the competition and brought up another 1,200 yards rushing season on the weekend. He now has 25 touchdowns for the year, only three within the single-season record set by Shaun Alexander last season.

Tomlinson has scored in 10 of the last 12 games this season and has scored 27 out of the Chargers' 44 this year. He should be kept in cotton wool because if something happens to him the Chargers are finished.

Elsewhere there were good wins to Cincinnati, NY Jets and Seattle while for Green Bay, Detroit, Washington, Minnesota, Tampa Bay and Oakland the end of season can't come quick enough.

In the miserable NFC North, the Chicago Bears clinched but they must be worried about the form of Rex Grossman. He could be good enough to win regular season games against threadbare opposition but in the blowtorch atmosphere of the playoffs, this isn't good enough. He is becoming more of a liability as every week goes by leaving the defence and special teams to pick him up and carry the team.