Bills-Cowboys was eerily like Cardinals-Bears clash of '06

Monday night was, as Yogi Berra would say, déjà vu all over again.

The similarities between last season's Oct. 16 Monday night thriller in Phoenix and this season's Oct. 8 equally compelling Monday night matchup in Buffalo are spooky.

Heading into last year's game, the Bears were 5-0 and the Cardinals were 1-4; heading into this year's game, the Cowboys were 4-0 and the Bills were 1-3.

The Cardinals had gone seven years between Monday night appearances; the Bills had gone seven years between Monday night appearances.

Two rookie Pac-10 QBs made their second career starts (Matt Leinart, Trent Edwards).

Both winning QBs committed six turnovers (Rex Grossman, Tony Romo).

Two Hall of Famers were honored during game (Dan Dierdorf, Thurman Thomas).

Bears (6-0) and Cowboys (5-0) remained undefeated after winning by one point.

Last year the Cardinals started a Pac-10 rookie quarterback, Matt Leinart, who was making his second NFL start; this year the Bills started a Pac-10 rookie quarterback, Trent Edwards, who was making his second NFL start.

Last year, Bears quarterback Rex Grossman threw four interceptions and lost two fumbles; this year, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo threw five interceptions and lost one fumble.

In each game there were three touchdown returns –- two off interceptions, one on a kickoff return. And the last team to turn over the football six times and win, before Dallas did it Monday night, was Chicago last season.

Each team honored a Hall of Famer –- former Cardinal Dan Dierdorf in Arizona, former Bill Thurman Thomas in Buffalo.

And lastly, and most strikingly, the Bears pulled off a dramatic 24-23 victory; the Cowboys eeked out a stunning 25-24 victory.

Ultimately, in the immortal words of former Cardinals coach Dennis Green, the Cowboys were who the Bills thought they were!

The good news for the Cowboys is that the Bears wound up in the Super Bowl. Dallas can only hope for the same.

MAGIC NUMBER

Only days after counting down the Red Sox' magic number, it's time to start assessing the New England Patriots'.

With the Patriots already winning three more games than the rest of the AFC East combined, New England could clinch its struggling division quicker than any team has since the NFL switched to the 16-game schedule in 1978.

Three teams, the 1985 Chicago Bears, 1997 San Francisco 49ers, and 2004 Philadelphia Eagles share the mark. The Bears clinched their division on Nov. 17 and the 49ers on Nov. 16, both after 11 games.

So before the Patriots can even challenge the 1972 Dolphins –- and speculation already has begun that they will -– New England is first going to have to chase down the '85 Bears and '97 49ers.

The way New England's schedule sets up, however, and the way the rest of the division is playing, it's conceivable that the Patriots could wrap up the AFC East after their 10th game, which would come Nov. 18 at Buffalo.

The Patriots' bye week is in the 10th week of the season, directly following their game Nov. 4 at Indianapolis in a matchup already teeming with playoff implications.

NO FINE FOR TRAVIS JOHNSON

NFL director of football operations Gene Washington determined Tuesday that Houston defensive tackle Travis Johnson will not be fined for taunting Miami's injured quarterback Trent Green after Sunday's controversial hit.

Green hit Johnson low, inciting the defensive tackle to stand over the injured quarterback, pointing and shouting at him. The play has been replayed on TV and in the league office plenty of times since then.

Upon studying it, Washington felt that officials were correct to penalize Johnson for taunting; standing over a player on the ground and pointing at him is, by rule, taunting. But Washington agreed with Johnson and the Texans that the defensive tackle should not be fined.

MARCHING OUT IN NEW ORLEANS

Of the many areas in which New Orleans is struggling, two are at the kicker and wide receiver positions. To address those areas, New Orleans has worked out seven kickers and six wide receivers.

Kickers in New Orleans on Tuesday included former Indianapolis standout Mike Vanderjagt, former Cowboy Martin Gramatica, and former Falcon Billy Cundiff.

The Saints also worked out wide receivers Travis Taylor, Taylor Jacobs and Billy McMullen.

The workouts are a sign of how unhappy the Saints are with the performances of some of their players, most notably kicker Olindo Mare.