Drought Departs Dallas

The Cowboys retained the playoff success of the early 1990’s with a convincing first round win over the Philadelphia Eagles Saturday in Dallas. The Eagles onslaught included a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback, Tony Romo. Five straight scoring drives highlighted a record second quarter as the Cowboys went on to pound Philadelphia 34-14. The Eagles fell to America’s team for the third time this season. The 20 point win was the first playoff win for Dallas since 1996. Romo notched his first post-season victory by remaining focused behind center and relying on the top-notch Dallas defense. The Cowboys put away 13 years of frustration with 27 second quarter points and three fumble recoveries. Big D head coach, Wade Phillips, got the monkey off his back too. Sunday’s defeat over the NFC rival Eagles marked Phillips’ first playoff win as a head coach.
Neither team logged a digit during the scoreless first quarter that saw five Dallas penalties. Then, the Cowboys blew the game open recording 27 unanswered points. The 12-5 Cowboys found their rhythm and took a 7-0 lead to set the tone for the night. The Cowboys erased all doubts about recent playoff droughts by never trailing against the visiting Eagles. John Phillips one yard pass reception from Romo with less than a minute into the second quarter was the first score. The 92,000 fans at Cowboys Stadium quieted their cheers on the ensuing Eagles possession. Backup quarterback, Michael Vick, instituted a run-and-pass play to Jeremy Maclin good for a 76 yard Philadelphia touchdown. Dallas was not intimidated, and answered on the next drive. Tashard Choice, the second year back out of Georgia Tech, found a home in the end zone on one of his fourteen touches of the night. Choice, coming off a concussion, was shaken up during the fourth quarter. Romo continued to flourish and completed 23 of 35 passes without an interception. He tossed for 244 yards, hitting Miles Austin for his second touchdown of the game with 1:55 before the half. Austin’s six yard grab was sandwiched between two Shaun Suisham field goals to give the Cowboys a 27-7 halftime lead. Roy Williams, who fizzled out during the regular season, had a respectable first half for Dallas. Williams had five catches for 59 yards as the Cowboys built their lead in the second. Receiver/punt returner, Patrick Crayton, was also solid. He averaged 18.7 yards on punt returns while hauling in three receptions. Austin led all Dallas receivers with 7 receptions for 82 yards. His touchdown before the two-minute warning was set up by a Vick fumble at the Philadelphia 18 yard line. Suisham’s nailed his second kick of the quarter following a fumble by the Eagles’ Leonard Weaver. Brady James pounced on the football, and the replay challenge was upheld to give Dallas one final possession before the break.
The Cowboys’ defense rattled starter, Donovan McNabb, the entire game. The Eagles quarterback came out firing in the second half, connecting with Brent Celek for a 20 yard reception on the first play. Game changing offensive stud, LeSean McCoy, was held in check by Dallas’ defense, and Philadelphia was forced to punt after Celek’s grab. The brilliant receiver McCoy caught just three passes for 14 yards. He scored 90 seconds into the fourth quarter with a pointless four yard touchdown. McNabb failed to complete a pass to sustain the drive because of the talented Dallas secondary. The former Syracuse signal caller completed 19 of 37 passes for 230 yards. He threw the game’s only two interceptions, one to Mike Jenkins midway through the third quarter. The pick came after the visitors were charged with two false start penalties, and tailback, Felix Jones, tallied another touchdown for the Cowboys. Jones took the handoff at the Dallas 27 to the end zone with a 73 yard burst. Big D’s rushing leader finished with a 168 yard effort. Jones replaced Marion Barber as the premier back when Barber became limited with a knee injury during Thursday’s practice. The Eagles finally scored again on McCoy’s late touchdown reception. Phillips swapped running plays with an aerial attack to run out the clock. Romo twice found Austin and flicked complete to Jason Witten to chew up seven minutes in the final quarter. Then the stalwart defense took over, sacking McNabb and forcing his second fumble with four minutes remaining. The Cowboys paralyzed the Eagles but still have a long way to go before they can start talking Superbowl.

Parting Points: Kudos to the Jets too.