Colts vs. Cowboys: Score and Twitter Reaction as Dallas Clinches NFC East

A banged-up, league-leading rusher, a perpetually questionable defense, underwhelming play at home all year and a top-tier opponent to deal with.

Week 16 felt like a trap for the Dallas Cowboys, but they rose to the occasion and then some in a 42-7 annihilation of the AFC South champion Indianapolis Colts at AT&T Stadium. That pulled Dallas to an even 4-4 in home games this season, helping the team clinch the NFC East title.

ESPN Stats & Info added more context to the Cowboys' division crown:

While young star Andrew Luck has drawn a ton of praise for his early success, it was Tony Romo, the oft-labeled choke artist, who led America's Team to victory. Romo helped lead four touchdown drives in as many opening possessions.

CBS Sports' Pete Prisco dismissed Romo's critics after the QB went 18-of-20 passing for 218 yards and four touchdowns:

Some of the comments Romo delivered before Sunday's contest rang true afterward.

"We're just a better team," said Romo of his team's exceptional 2014 campaign, per The Dallas Morning News' Rainer Sabin. “I think we're a team now who is more of a complete team."

Romo showed rare precision and poise in a postseason atmosphere Sunday. On his fourth touchdown of the game to ever-reliable tight end Jason Witten, the veteran signal-caller made some considerable history:

That 25-yard scoring toss with 4:48 left in the third quarter actually caused the Colts to bench Luck. Stephen Holder of The Indianapolis Star praised the decision:

Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray is dealing with a broken bone in his hand, which limited his effectiveness to the point that he averaged less than three yards per carry. He still managed a one-yard score in the second quarter to put the Cowboys up 28-0, though.

Dez Bryant also came to play, hauling in five receptions in as many targets for 73 yards and a 19-yard, first-quarter score. Those catch and yards totals were second only to Witten on the team.

ESPN's Ed Werder noted the good timing of Murray and Bryant:

But Romo was the big story.

Cousin Sal of Jimmy Kimmel Live! noted how prolific Romo has been since a discouraging start to the year:

NBC5's Pat Doney highlighted the other side of the ball, which also contributed to Dallas' success against Indianapolis:

Luck was under constant duress, racking up a career-low 109 yards on 15-of-22 passing with two interceptions.

Skip Bayless of ESPN criticized Luck's frequent carelessness with the football:

CBS Sports' Will Brinson and NFL.com's Bryan Fischer raised some legitimate concerns about the well-being of both Romo and Murray when the outcome of the game was well in Dallas' favor:

After years of mediocrity and a division title within reach, it's hard to blame Cowboys coach Jason Garrett for putting the pedal to the metal and ensuring Dallas saw this win through. It's also hard to blame the Colts for keeping star wide receiver T.Y. Hilton out of the game, as he's currently dealing with a hamstring strain.

A road trip to face the lowly Tennessee Titans, who would benefit from losing for 2015 draft purposes, should help the Colts bounce back from an embarrassing loss. They ran into a buzz saw in Dallas and just need to make sure they hold their spot in the AFC playoff picture.

Randall Liu, director of NFC football communications, provides a brief look at what lies ahead for Dallas:

It's important for the Cowboys to avoid a letdown above all else.

The regular-season finale will have a rivalry flavor in the nation's capital when Dallas prepares to take on Washington. There is still a chance for Dallas to improve its playoff seeding, so ideally, the Cowboys would love another hot start like they had Sunday to secure a 12th win and see what happens in front of them.

Although the playoffs will be the ultimate decider, no one can really dismiss Romo for coming up small in the past. This is one of the best Cowboys teams he's had to work with, and he's playing as tough, hard and well as ever.

Those are the signs of a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback, as Romo has Dallas dreaming of the Lombardi Trophy again.