Prince Amukamara's Status Is Up in the Air, and More NFC East News

We've been focusing all week on injuries to key NFC East offensive players like Robert Griffin III, Dez Bryant and Ahmad Bradshaw, and thus the strained hamstring that has kept New York Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara out of practice has flown under the radar.

Amukamara has become such a crucial part of the Giants' thin secondary that the defense would take a significant hit without the second-year corner. 

Jenny Vrentas of the Newark Star-Ledger writes that Amukamara is "hopeful" he can play on Sunday against the pass-happy Atlanta Falcons, but isn't sure of his status. Without him, the G-men would be forced to rely on the extremely inconsistent Corey Webster and rookie Jayron Hosley against one of the most lethal receiving duos in football.

Bradshaw's status matters to fantasy owners and he's a bigger name so it gets more press, but the Giants should be a lot more worried about Prince right now than anyone else on the roster.

On to what else is being talked about in the league's most popular division. 

Dallas Cowboys

From Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News: DeMarcus Ware plans to play on Sunday against Pittsburgh despite a hyper-extended elbow.

From ESPNDallas.com's Calvin Watkins: The Cowboys will continue to rotate Doug Free and Jermey Parnell at right tackle against the Steelers.

New York Giants

From Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News: Bradshaw missed his second straight practice on Thursday.

From Paul Schwartz of the New York Post: Osi Umenyiora says the Giants aren't getting enough sacks and the defensive line has to do a better job.

Philadelphia Eagles

From PhillyMag.com's Tim McManus: Nick Foles took his first step backwards in Thursday night's loss to the Bengals.

From Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer: Turns out the Eagles aren't going to stiff Mike Patterson after all.

Washington Redskins

From Rich Campbell of the Washington Times: Griffin's knee is improving each day.

From Rich Tandler of Real Redskins: Kyle Shanahan is OK with RG3 taking a risk.