Burning Questions

SI.com's Don Banks tackles three issues from around the league:

1. What is it about the Meadowlands that creates Monday night classics?

Jeremy Shockey helped the Giants rally in the fourth quarter, but came up empty in OT. AP

Answer: Where does one even begin to rank the highlights of Dallas' remarkable 35-32 overtime upset of the Giants on Monday Night Football?

Bill Parcells winning his first game as the Cowboys head coach in his homecoming game at Giants Stadium? Dallas kicker Billy Cundiff tying an NFL record with seven field goals, including the clutch 52-yarder that forced overtime and the 25-yard effort that won it with 5:56 remaining in extra time? How about Quincy Carter's career-best 321-yard passing game, or Terry Glenn's impressive eight-catch, 113-yard effort to lead the Cowboys' offense? And don't forget that New York hung up an 18-point fourth quarter that should have been enough to post a valiant comeback victory.

"I know why they put these games on TV,'' Parcells said of the thriller, which ended at 1:03 a.m. Tuesday in the Eastern Time Zone. "It was one of the greatest games I've been involved in.''

This much we're sure of: It was the most compelling theater at Giants Stadium since the Jets pulled off the "Monday Night Miracle'' against Miami on Oct. 23, 2000. Trailing 30-7 as the fourth quarter opened, the Jets scored a club-record 30 points in the fourth quarter that night, and wound up winning 40-37 in overtime. It was the biggest comeback in Jets history and one of the most memorable in league history.

As is always the case in games of this ilk, the best part of Tuesday's post-mortems are the haunting what-ifs that the outcome turned on. For the Giants, everyone will fixate, and rightfully so, on Matt Bryant's crucial mistake of kicking off out of bounds just after his 30-yard field goal gave New York a seemingly safe 32-29 lead with 11 seconds left in regulation.

With the bonus of getting the ball at their 40 with all 11 seconds still to work with, the Cowboys needed just one 26-yard completion to receiver Antonio Bryant to find themselves in range for Cundiff's game-tying 52-yard field goal. Which he promptly nailed at the gun in regulation.

But how about this overlooked detail in the Giants' demise? Because of the botched field goal snap at the end of New York's excruciating first-round playoff loss at San Francisco last season, the Giants Monday night called time out for Bryant's go-ahead field goal with 14 seconds remaining in regulation, rather than running a second-down play and bleeding the clock down even further.

True, the Giants had to call timeout there because the play clock was almost expired, but with another timeout remaining and 14 seconds left, they could have taken Bryant's squib kickoff completely out of the equation by running one more dive play into the line and bringing in the field goal unit. Instead, they chose to leave themselves enough time for a second field-goal attempt, on third down, should a bad snap occur on the first try.

Why? Because of what happened on that fateful field goal try against the 49ers. In that game, the Giants kicked on third down, meaning that if they had merely fallen on the ball or thrown a quick incomplete pass on the botched snap play, they would have had another chance to kick on fourth down. Making sure to not make the same mistake cost New York this time. Had the Giants not kicked the field goal until the three or four-second mark against the Cowboys, Bryant's 30-yarder ends the game, 32-29.

It's the stuff Monday Night memories are made of. 

2. What distinction does Donovan McNabb deserve these days?

Donovan McNabb has been sacked 10 times so far this season, and committed six turnovers. AP

Answer: Would you believe the league's most overrated player label? A little harsh for a two-week slump, right? Maybe, but it's also an indication of how lost the fifth-year Philadelphia quarterback has been this season.

The truth is, there have always been a few Sundays each season when McNabb looked downright ordinary. When his passes didn't go where he wanted them to go, his ability to work outside the pocket didn't save the day, and his star power looked a bit overstated. But you could chalk those up to him still being a relatively young quarterback developmentally, not having enough offensive weapons around him, or just his tendency to misplace his A game from time to time.

But McNabb's troubles this year are a little harder to overlook. Yes, his last three meaningful games were against Tampa Bay (twice) and New England, teams rich in defensive talent. But that doesn't come close to absolving McNabb, who has been consistently singled out as one of the game's most complete quarterbacks, with a game that outshone any of his fellow 1999 first-round quarterbacks.

But have you seen McNabb lately? He looks hesitant. He lacks accuracy and confidence. And it appears he's not seeing the field with any clarity. He's often dealing with a strong pass rush, but even when he isn't, he's not capitalizing on the opportunities that he has. McNabb these days looks almost as stiff as the guy playing Honest Abe next to him in all those Lincoln Financial commercials.

Try these humbling statistics on for size: In his first two games, McNabb is 37 of 82 (45.1 percent), for 334 yards, three interceptions, three fumbles, 10 sacks, zero touchdowns and a 41.4 passer rating. His long gain throwing the ball is 24 yards, and you can't even find him on the NFL or NFC passer ratings chart, his numbers are so low.

He has gained a team-high 108 yards on 11 rushes, and some believe that he has shied away from that part of his game to his own detriment, in a determined effort to prove he can be a more traditional pocket passer.

Perhaps returning to an outside-the-pocket mentality will jumpstart McNabb's confidence, and open up more big-play opportunities on the run. Something needs to change. The 0-2 Eagles have scored just one touchdown in two games, and their 10 total points are their second-lowest two-game production to start the season in franchise history -- topped, if that's the right word, only by 1985's club, which scored six points in starting 0-2.

With a Week 3 bye to get himself in shape, McNabb might still pull things together and return to the play-making form that we're accustomed to. Though he had a strong showing in his comeback game against Atlanta in the divisional playoffs, we haven't really seen the real McNabb since before his broken ankle in Week 11 last season.

At this point, the Eagles' season depends on No. 5 re-finding his game.

3. Who's the hands-down free-agent pickup of the season so far?

Redskins WR Laveranues Coles is on pace for a 128-catch, 2,288-yard season. AP

Answer: That would be Washington's $13 million man, Laveranues Coles. The Redskins might have overpaid in terms of the signing bonus given the former Jets receiver, but Coles has quickly repaid Washington for its generosity.

In the opener against the Jets, Coles had five catches for 106 yards, helping his new team to a three-point win despite not making a reception in the second half. But that was a game everyone knew Coles would be primed for. His showing at Atlanta last week -- career-highs in both catches (11) and yards (180), with a fourth-quarter 19-yard game-sealing touchdown reception thrown in -- was much more impressive, and paced the Redskins to their surprising 2-0 start.

And Coles' impact goes beyond him leading the NFL in receiving yardage, with 286 yards on 16 catches (17.9 average). In adding a genuine go-to threat to the Washington offense, he has required defenses to double cover him, leaving them vulnerable to other facets of the Redskins attack.

Even better, Coles wants the ball in key situations, and the swagger that he brings to his game has given the Redskins a much-needed boost in confidence. Having a proven playmaker to look for on a consistent basis will only enhance second-year quarterback Patrick Ramsey's game. Ramsey, who threw for a career-high 356 yards at Atlanta, already has learned that throwing it in Coles' direction is the smartest move he can make.

How much is that worth for a young quarterback? Just ask the Jets' Chad Pennington, who presumed he had a No. 1 receiver to play pitch and catch with for years to come.

Coles' toughness in Atlanta also sent a certain message to his teammates. He suffered a sprained neck against the Falcons and twice had to be helped off the field. But he returned each time, and his example helped steel the Redskins, who climbed out of a second-quarter 17-0 hole to win 33-31.

"I want to be the guy who steps up and makes something happen,'' Coles told the Washington Post on Sunday. "That's what they brought me here for, to help this team win.''

So far, no free agent has helped out -- or worked out -- like Coles.