Dallas Dominates In Their First Playoff Win In Thirteen Years

As the toe of David Akers made contact with the leather skin of the 15-ounce ball placed on the tee in front of him, Cowboys fans everywhere could see that something was different. 

With 92,951 fans gathered at Cowboys Stadium, and a team coming off of two straight shutout victories, Dallas earned their first playoff win since 1996.

It was not only that the Cowboys won this game, but it was the way they won.  With a 34-14 victory over bitter rival Philadelphia, the Cowboys team sent a message to the entire league that they will not lay down at the end of the season again.

Tony Romo outplayed his counterpart Donovan McNabb by completing about 66 percent of his passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns.  The most important statistic that Romo put on the board all night was a zero in the turnover column. 

The biggest statistical difference in the two team's offenses was in the running game.  Felix Jones averaged an astounding 9.3 yards per carry and the team totaled 198 rushing yards while the Eagles managed just 56 yards on the ground.

As well as Dallas' offense played, their defense played that much better.  With consistent pressure on McNabb, the Cowboys forced two fumbles, one interception, and sacked the quarterback four times (hitting the quarterback nine times). 

Philadelphia looked like a team that was out matched on nearly every play.  Dallas hit harder, ran faster, and wanted the win far more than their opponent.

All week long, the talk was of Dallas' postseason struggles, of how Philadelphia didn't utilize their blitz packages or big play weapons a week ago, of Andy Reid and Donovan Mcnabb's undefeated record in wildcard games, of how difficult it is to beat a team back to back or three times in a season, of Desean Jackson and his Twitter account, and of an Eagles team that would bounce back.

The pressure was on Dallas, on Wade Phillips and his job security, on Tony Romo and his inability to win the big game, on a defense that ended last season by giving up three touchdowns and three field goals to the same team they were set to play in this game, and on Jerry Jones' front office and multi-billion dollar stadium. 

Dallas faced all the pressure and answered all the questions.  At the end of the game, the Cowboys stood victorious, giving their fans some hope for the first time in a very long time.