NFC Divisional Playoffs: Dallas Cowboys v. Minnesota Vikings

January 14, 2010

Jerry Jones must be smiling ear to ear as his Dallas Cowboys final got through their December slump, and won their first playoff game since the Emmitt Smith days. Now that Dallas has taken the proverbial monkey off their back, they will need to take down the Minnesota Vikings on the road in the NFC Divisional round of the playoffs.

The Minnesota Vikings looked like the best team in the NFL for most of the season. Adding Brett Favre to an equation that already had a solid defense and the best running back in the game, seemed like it was going to lead to a Super Bowl appearance. However, the Vikes went on to lose 3 out of 4 games down the stretch, which left many experts wondering if they had all of the players they needed to make a deep run in the playoffs. Adrian Peterson may have hit a wall at the mid-way point of the season, because his yards per rush and yards per game fell significantly in the second half of the year.

When the Vikings signed Favre in the off-season, many believed it was a mistake. He started to show signs of his age towards the end of 2008 as he and the Jets fell out of playoff with several key losses down the stretch. As it turned out, Favre was simply banged up, and was playing hurt for most of the year. His presence in the Minnesota line-up was felt immediately at the beginning of this season as many teams played back in coverage which left A.P. plenty of room to run wild. As the year has worn on, the Vikings have implemented a balanced attack that made it virtually impossible for opponents to keep them out of the end-zone.

Led by Jared Allen, the Viking defense has fed off of their offense. Allen has been a beast in 2009 recording 14.5 sacks along with 42 solo tackles. Allen and the defense must feed off the offense too much as they too faltered down the stretch allowing over 30 points in 3 of their last 5 games.

The Cowboy defense has got better over the course of the year. After pitching a shutout to Washington in week 16, they went on to do the same thing to an Eagles team that was playing for both the NFC East title, and a first round bye. The more amazing thing is how Dallas was able to hold that same explosive Eagle offense to just 14 points in the wild-card match-up a week later. It may take everything they have to defeat the Vikings at home, but they are playing with a renewed sense of confidence on both sides of the ball. Tony Romo quietly had one of the best seasons of his career as he passed for almost 4500 yards and 26 touchdowns. He has found life to be easier without Terrell Owens begging for the ball, and now has a legitimate go-to receiver in Miles Austin.

Both teams look as if they are capable of winning the Super Bowl if given the opportunity, but one of them will be eliminated Sunday in what is sure to be a tremendous game.

Written by Cover The Number · Filed Under NFL

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