Breaking down Sunday's action from crucial Week 14

Giants wideout Plaxico Burress (136 yards, 1 TD on Sunday) has posted four 100-yard receiving games against the Eagles since '04. AP

• Plaxico Burress continues to dominate his matchup with the Eagles secondary, using his size and athleticism. The 6-foot-5 receiver towers over the Eagles' corners (Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown) and Eli Manning exploits the matchup by throwing the ball high when Burress is well-covered by either of the corners. Burress repeatedly came down with critical third-down receptions on an assortment of acrobatic grabs -- on his way to a seven catch, 136-yard performance, his fourth 100-yard receiving game against the Eagles since joining the Giants in 2004.

• Antonio Cromartie's sudden rise to elite-corner status is surprising, considering his inexperience heading into the season. Regarded as one of the top athletes in the 2006 draft, Cromartie only started in two games as a collegian. And spent most of his rookie season contributing as a kick returner, while seeing limited action within the Chargers' dime package. But aided by a Drayton Florence injury, Cromartie has seen more playing time and responded with nine interceptions. His ball skills and awareness have been impressive, but his improved cover skills have helped the Chargers lead the league in interceptions.

• The Titans defense harassed Philip Rivers into a subpar performance without using the blitz. Keyed by Albert Haynesworth's domination inside, Jim Schwartz used an assortment of stunts/games to free up multiple rushers off the edges. Kyle Vanden Bosch responded with three sacks and provided constant harassment off the corner. Though the Titans were unable to finish the game, the success of their front four allowed them to blanket the Chargers' passing game by sitting in two-deep coverage.

• The Lions deviated from their typical "air-it-out" approach by establishing the running game early in the contest. Offensive coordinator Mike Martz handed the ball off to Kevin Jones and T.J. Duckett on 15 of the Lions' first 31 plays. And the surprising effectiveness of the running game allowed quarterback Jon Kitna to connect with Sean McHugh and Calvin Johnson off play-action. Forced to deal with a balanced attack, the Cowboys defense never had a chance to unleash their exotic blitz schemes against a Lions offense that has struggled in pass protection for most of the season.

• The Lions successfully defended the Cowboys' vaunted offense by using an assortment of two-deep coverages. By incorporating more man-underneath coverage out of their two-deep shell, the Lions were able to keep quarterback Tony Romo from finding his primary targets, in rhythm, for most of the game. But credit Romo for effectively attacking the weakness of the two-deep scheme by repeatedly targeting tight end Jason Witten (15 receptions for 138 with one touchdown) and Marion Barber III (10 catches for 61 yards and one touchdown) underneath the coverage. Romo has shown surprising poise as a second-year starter and the ability to settle for check-downs further illustrates that point.

• Reggie Williams is starting to stake his claim on the Jags' receiving corps. The former first-round pick has hauled in 16 receptions for 363 yards (24.1 ypc) with four touchdowns in the past six games. And his ability to generate big plays in the passing game has given the Jags' offense an added dimension. With Jacksonville firmly entrenched in a playoff run, it will need Williams to continue to be a difference maker.

• Fred Taylor is benefiting from sharing the load with Maurice Jones-Drew. With less wear-and-tear on his legs, Taylor has keyed the Jags' playoff run by racking up three consecutive 100-yard rushing days. But the surprising element to Taylor's rejuvenation has been the return of the big run. Taylor's 80-yard touchdown run was his third run exceeding 40 yards this season, after having one in each of the past two seasons.

• The Panthers made a concerted effort to get Steve Smith the ball by incorporating more bubble screens into their game plan. The "dink and dunk" approach got Smith more involved (six catchhes for 44 yards), but it wasn't enough to jump start the Panthers' anemic offense against the Jags.

• Trent Edwards' insertion into the lineup continues to pay huge dividends for the Bills. Not only has Edwards led his team to a 5-1 record, but his ability to incorporate all of the Bills' offensive weapons, especially the tight ends (Robert Royal and Michael Gaines), opens up the entire field. And the running game is benefiting from the wide-open approach, as the Bills have averaged more than 117 rushing yards a game in Edwards' six starts.

• Despite using a ball-control passing game against the Raiders, Brett Favre continues to torch secondaries with the deep ball. Favre's 80-yard touchdown to Greg Jennings was the Packers' 16th completion of more than 40 yards and Jennings' fifth touchdown of 40 yards or more. With the Packers; running attack emerging behind Ryan Grant, they will continue to have plenty of opportunities to attack with vertical strikes.

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