The Dallas Cowboys were completely outplayed in their NFC Divisional Round loss to the Minnesota Vikings over the weekend.  Coming into the game the Cowboys were looking like one of the top teams left in the playoffs, but they looked nothing like the team that beat up on the Eagles 34-14 only one week prior.  The offense could not get anything going, mainly due to the lack of protection the offensive line gave to quarterback Tony Romo.  Romo was sacked six times and looked rattled very early on.  He went 22/35 for 198 yards and an interception.  Even the Cowboys great running game was kept in check, getting only 92 yards as a team after getting nearly 200 against the Eagles.  The Vikings defensive line was just too much for the Cowboys to handle and the only offense the Cowboys could muster up was a 33-yard Shaun Suisham field goal early in the second quarter.

The Cowboys defense did not do their part either, letting Brett Favre pick them apart for 4 touchdowns.  Favre did make some great throws, but the Cowboys’ secondary broke down way too often.  They did a terrible job covering Sidney Rice, who caught 6 passes for 141 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Favre finished with 234 yards and the 4 touchdowns on 14/24 and did not turn the ball over.  The Cowboys also gave up 109 rushing yards.  This was an ugly way to end the season for the Cowboys, but the Vikings looked like the better team.  Wade Phillips did finally get the Cowboys a playoff win this year, so Jerry Jones says he is sticking with him as the head coach next season.

The Dallas Cowboys can finally take a little sigh of relief, as they ended their 14-year playoff drought with a big win over the Philadelphia Eagles.  Tony Romo, who has been labeled a choke-artist, was probably most relieved.  The talented quarterback had a QB rating of 104.9, throwing 2 touchdowns on 23/35 for 244 yards.  He also led the Cowboys to a huge second quarter, helping the Cowboys easily put away the Eagles by outscoring them 27-7 in that quarter.  Romo got a ton of help from his running backs too, with the Cowboys gaining 198 rushing yards as a team.  Felix Jones had a huge day, rushing for a touchdown and 148 yards on 16 carries for a great average of 9.3 yards per carry.  Tashard Choice helped as well, working hard for 42 yards and 1 touchdown on 14 carries.

The Cowboys defense was outstanding in this game too, forcing the Eagles into 4 turnovers and holding them to just 56 rushing yards.  They sacked Donovan McNabb twice, but they pressured him all game holding him to 230 yards on 19/37 passes, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception.  Bradie James was a nightmare for McNabb, as the linebacker had 6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 2 QB hits, and 1 pass defensed.  The Cowboys completely dominated this game on both sides of the ball and it was an emphatic way to end their playoff-win drought.  The Cowboys have won four straight and are looking more and more to me like the favorites to come out of NFC playoffs.  They will have to go through Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings next week in Minnesota.

The Dallas Cowboys (11-5) made a big statement with this win over the Philadelphia Eagles (11-5), giving them the NFC East Title.  Tony Romo got the Cowboys going early and hit Jason Witten for a first quarter touchdown.  Romo had another touchdown pass in the middle of the second quarter and the Cowboys had a 17-0 lead at the half.  Romo finished the game with those 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, and 311 yards on 24/34 passes.  Felix Jones and Marion Barber did their part, getting almost identical numbers.  Jones had 15 carries for 91 yards and 1 touchdown while Jones had 14 carries for 91 yards.  The Cowboys’ offense had very good rhythm, something that is key going into the playoffs.

As good as the Cowboys offense played, the defense probably played better.  They were going up against one of the hottest NFC teams, as the Eagles came into this game with a six-game winning streak.  The defense held the Eagles to 228 total yards, including only 37 rushing yards.  Donovan McNabb threw for 223 yards and the Cowboys kept him out of the endzone.  The Cowboys became the only team this season to shut out the Eagles.  After losing their first two games in December, it looked like deja vu for the Cowboys with a late season collapse looking imminent.  That didn’t happen though, and the Cowboys have now won three straight and look like an NFC favorite in the playoffs.

The Cowboys played a solid game last night securing a spot in the playoffs.  Tony Romo completed 25 of 38 passes for 286 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT in this game.  Marion Barber was tough for the Cowboys carrying the ball 17 times for 63 yards (3.7 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 4 passes for 30 yards (7.5 avg).  Felix Jones also had a solid game running the ball 10 times for 58 yards (5.8 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 27 yards (6.8 avg).  Jason Witten led the way in the passing game for the Cowboys with 6 grabs for 117 yards (19.5 avg).  Miles Austin also had a solid game with 9 catches for 92 yards (10.2 avg) yesterday.  The Cowboys finished up with 393 total yards (108 rushing, 285 passing) as they had possession of the ball for 35:02.

Linebackers Bradie James (12 tackles, pass defensed) and Keith Brooking (6 tackles, 3 passes defensed) led the Cowboys’ D which was very impressive last night.  The Redskins finished up with only 218 total yards on offense (43 rushing, 175 passing) in this game.  The Cowboys are now 10-5 on the year.

The Cowboys rushed out to a 24-3 lead after the first three quarters before hanging on in the 4th quarter to give the Saints their first loss of the year.  Tony Romo was excellent last night as he completed 22 of 34 passes for 312 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 21 yards (5.3 ypc) last night.  Marion Barber did the heavy lifting in the running game for the Cowboys last night with 17 carries for 62 yards (3.6 ypc) with 2 TD carries.  Felix Jones pitched in with 58 yards rushing on 14 carries (4.1 ypc).  Miles Austin had a huge game for the Cowboys last night with 7 grabs for 139 yards (19.9 avg) with 1 TD grab.  TE Jason Witten pitched in with 5 grabs for 44 yards (8.8 avg) last night.  The Cowboys finished up with 439 total yards on offense (145 rushing, 294 passing) as they hogged the ball for 36:26 last night.

OLB DeMarcus Ware decided to play last night and he was awesome with 2 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 2 sacks and 2 QB hits.  Fellow linebacker Anthony Spencer also had a great game for the Cowboys last night with 6 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks and 3 QB hits.  CB Michael Jenkins pitched  in with 4 tackles, 3 passes defensed and 1 interception.  The Saints finished up with 336 total yards on offense (65 rushing, 271 passing) in this game.  The Cowboys saved their season last night improving to 9-5 on the year.