Cowboys' tight end Jason Witten still hasn't been ruled out against the New York Giants even after missing practice again Friday with a broken rib. "He does everything right in practice; that's why he doesn't need to practice as much," Coach Wade Phillips said, leading many to believe that he could very well play. Witten is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's game.

Dallas owner Jerry Jones believes that quarterback Brad Johnson, who has struggled, gives the team their best chance to win this weekend. "Our best chance is to have him," Jones said Thursday of the 40-year-old. There have been reports that the Cowboys will replace Johnson with Brooks Bollinger at the first sign of trouble this Sunday. "No, I don't see that," Jones said. "That would not be fair to our ability to win the game. We have got a guy who has years and years of making decisions here. We have every reason to believe he can make decisions and make the throws to win this game for us."

Pop star Jessica Simpson is reportedly thinking about marriage with Cowboys' quarterback Tony Romo. "[Tony and I] are definitely compatible in all areas," Simpson said. "Any person who I'm gonna date for longer than six months, I definitely am investing in something long-term," "If I get married again, then it will be the last time."

Brad Johnson will start at quarterback for the Cowboys on Sunday against the Giants, but if he struggles he may not finish the game. "We think we can go with Brad and see what happens," coach Wade Phillips said Wednesday. "We're not going into the game saying, 'This guy is going and we're going to pull him if he doesn't do anything.' We're going in with a more positive attitude than that." Third-stringer Brooks Bollinger got some work with the first team Wednesday in the event that Johnson isn't effective once again.

Cowboys' tight end Jason Witten has learned that medical tests performed Monday revealed he suffered a fractured rib, according to team sources. But the team's leading receiver refuses to rule himself out of Sunday's showdown against the Giants and has informed the coaching staff he will try to play through the injury, according to a report by ESPN.com on Tuesday.

Cowboys' Coach Wade Phillips expects Brad Johnson to start against the Giants on Sunday despite reports that the team is losing faith in his abilities. "We'll see," Phillips said when asked if Johnson would start. "I would expect that. I don't know why it would change."

The Cowboys are reportedly considering other options at quarterback after having two games to gauge how Brad Johnson has been able to handle the team's passing attack. A high-ranking team source said the Cowboys will "probably" have Johnson start on Sunday against the Giants, but his limitations could force Coach Wade Phillips to consider other options, including third-stringer Brooks Bollinger. RealGM Note: Johnson is 36-for-67 with 356 yards, two touchdowns and three interception is two starts. His quarterback rating is just 60.3, and he's averaging 5.31 yards-per-pass.

Cowboys' tight end Jason Witten left the team's win over the Buccaneers on Sunday with a rib injury, but X-rays were negative. "I took a shot. It doesn't feel good right now, obviously," Witten said after the game. "I'm hoping for the best and hopefully get back to it next week." Witten was hurt at the end of the first quarter. Teams trainers looked at him on the sideline before taking him into the locker room. X-rays were negative, and Witten returned to the sideline before the half although he went back into the locker room before the 2-minute warning. He got back on the field for the team's first play after halftime, lined up as a fullback. He took part in several plays that series but didn't play again after that. "I tried to doctor it up a little bit at halftime and come out, but just didn't have it in me," Witten said. "I've just got to fight through and hopefully get back to it next week."

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is leaving the door open for suspended cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones to play again in the league. However, he made it clear that the oft-troubled player must first work through his off-field issues. "I've been consistent on this one. He has to recognize his responsibility to play in the NFL," Goodell said. "He has not made good decisions," Goodell added. "I think after this latest incident it was clear to me there was something else going on that we need to evaluate and we need to address directly." Only six weeks after being reinstated from a 17-month suspension because of repeated legal problems, Jones ran into trouble again when he was involved in an alcohol-related scuffle on Oct. 7.

The scoreboard is where games are officially won and lost, but they are largely decided by the team that wins the battles of yards per pass, yards per carry, penalty yards lost, first downs, and turnovers. For this reason, RealGM executive editor Christopher Reina created the following formula called the ?Trench Counter? to look at which team truly controls the game: (2x Yards per pass) + (2x Yards per carry) + (.5 First downs) - (Penalty yards/10) - (2.5 Turnovers) - (Opposing Team's Trench Counter) Click here for more information on the Trench Counter For the 2008 season, our weekly team rankings will be based solely off this formula. 1. Pittsburgh Steelers: 10.0 An absolute drubbing of the lowly Bengals on Sunday allowed the Steelers to leapfrog the Giants and idle Eagles to take over the top spot. 2. New York Giants: 9.7 At times the Giants looked flustered against the 49ers, and even though they still won soundly, it wasn?t enough to hold off the surging Steelers. 3. Philadelphia Eagles: 8.8 The Eagles dropped a spot as they sat at home and watched the action from home. A win over the Falcons this weekend could launch them into the top spot with Pittsburgh and New York facing off. 4. Washington Redskins: 7.3 For the second-straight week there are three NFC East teams in the top four. Washington?s win over Cleveland wasn?t pretty (14-11), but they got the job done and continue to impress. 5. Tennessee Titans: 6.7 The undefeated Titans have entered the top-five, but their yards per completion average of 6.28 is among the league?s worst. Kerry Collins manages a great game for Jeff Fisher, but they?ll eventually need more out of his arm. 6. Atlanta Falcons: 5.0 If the Falcons want to move up in the rankings next week they?ll have to beat the Eagles in Philadelphia and continue dominating on the ground. 7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 4.9 The Bucs are the sixth-straight NFC team in this week?s rankings thanks to their dominant, but ugly, win over the Seahawks on Sunday night. Their +4 takeaway differential has been the key to their success. 8. Carolina Panthers: 3.9 The Panthers moved up four spots, thanks to their impressive victory over the division rival Saints. Carolina dominated on the ground, and Jake Delhomme had one of his best passing games of the season. 9. Buffalo Bills: 3.5 The Bills, just the second AFC team in the top-ten, cut down the high-powered Chargers in Buffalo this past weekend. They collected a number of turnovers, three by Philip Rivers, and moved up six spots because of it. 10. Minnesota Vikings: 3.3 Both the Vikings and Bears should be embarrassed after their 48-41 shootout. Neither team played well, but Minnesota probably would have won (despite Gus Frerotte?s four picks) if they hadn?t messed up on special teams. 11. Miami Dolphins: 3.2 The wildcat formation is no longer a secret in Miami, and with Buffalo on the schedule this weekend, the Dolphins could slide down further. 12. Dallas Cowboys: 2.1 The Cowboys dropped five spots and saw their average trench counter fall from 4.8 to 2.1, thanks to a listless performance against the Rams. With Tony Romo on the sideline they can still win games, but will their statistics suffer? 13. Baltimore Ravens: 1.9 Joe Flacco will need to cut down on the interceptions if the Ravens are going to challenge in the AFC North. 14. Arizona Cardinals: 1.9 The idle Cardinals sit exactly where they did after Week 6, but in order to improve heading into the season?s midpoint, they?ll need to play extremely well against the tough Panthers. 15. Chicago Bears: 1.7 I already mentioned that horrific Chicago/Minnesota game, so I?ll focus on what the Bears need to do in order to move up this list. Getting more than 3.6 yards per carry would be a start? 16. San Diego Chargers: 1.4 The Chargers came unglued in Buffalo posting their second negative TC in three weeks. If Rivers is more careful with the football, they should see the top-ten in a few weeks. 17. New York Jets: 0.5 The honeymoon is over for Brett Favre and the Jets. The quarterback has one touchdown and four interceptions in the team?s last two games. 18. New England Patriots: 0.4 A little Monday night magic launched the Patriots from -4.2 to 0.4 in just a week?s time. Matt Cassel won?t have another game like the one he did against the Broncos, but Bill Belichick now knows what his quarterback can handle. 19. Green Bay Packers: 0.0 Seven weeks into the season and the Packers have absolutely nothing to show for it. Actually, that?s far from the truth. They are just a very average football team right now. 20. New Orleans Saints: -1.0 The Saints will struggle on offense without Reggie Bush, but they should be able to get out of the red if Drew Brees rekindles his relationship with Marques Colston down field. 21. San Francisco 49ers: -2.3 Mike Singletary says that this team has something special, but can the new coach unearth their supposed excellence? 22. Houston Texans: -2.4 The Texans narrowly held off the Lions after jumping out to a huge lead on Sunday. Look for another early lead with the winless Bengals are coming to town in Week Eight. 23. Denver Broncos: -2.4 The Broncos have dropped six spots, thanks to their performance in New England. A loss is one thing, but the injured finger of Jay Cutler could be another. 24. Jacksonville Jaguars: -2.8 Who would have thought that the Jaguars would be in the bottom half of the league in yards per carry? 25. Indianapolis Colts: -2.8 Things are about as bad in Indianapolis as they ever have been since Peyton Manning arrived in town. Their horrid run game, compounded by a weak offensive line, will need to improve ? fast. 26. Cleveland Browns: -5.6 I hate to say it just six games into the season, but the Browns are officially the league?s biggest bust. They are horrible in most facets of the game, but Derek Anderson?s 62.9 quarterback rating is the most glaring disappointment. 27. Seattle Seahawks: -8.7 To be completely honest, I?m very surprised that the Seahawks have an average trench counter as high as -8.7. They look, to steal words from Mike Holmgren, like a high school football team. 28. Oakland Raiders: -8.8 Tom Cable got the Raiders a win on Sunday, and JaMarcus Russell looks ready to handle more of the offense. If Cable trusts his quarterback, Oakland?s below-average passing attack could thrive. 29. Cincinnati Bengals: -9.5 The Bengals are absolutely horrific on offense right now, but more carries for Cedric Benson could keep Marvin Lewis in town a little longer. 30. St. Louis Rams: -10.1 Back-to-back wins over NFC East opponents have lifted the Rams out of last place and up a few rungs on the basement steps. If the Patriots remain hot, St. Louis could be back at the bottom next week. 31. Kansas City Chiefs: -10.5 Herm Edwards? quarterbacks have a 58.6 combined QB rating and are averaging just 5.10 yards per pass. 32. Detroit Lions: -10.6 The Lions have played better in the last two weeks, but their early-season struggles are still plaguing their trench counter ranking.