Dallas Cowboys 34, Philadelphia Eagles 14: Cowboy up
Dallas quarterback Tony Romo won his first career playoff game, marking the Cowboy's first postseason victory since 1996, as Dallas cruised to a 34-14 victory. (AP Photo)
By Matt Serocki
All week prior to the third game of the season between the Cowboys and Eagles, Philadelphia wide receiver DeSean Jackson had been “tweeting” that the Cowboys were afraid of him.
According to anyone watching the playoff showdown between the two bitter NFC East rivals, Jackson is now the one who should be afraid.
Tony Romo had a solid outing in the first playoff game in the new Cowboys Stadium, completing 22-of-35 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns en route to a 34-14 win over the sixth-seeded Eagles.
The win was Dallas ‘ third win this season over Philadelphia, and the second straight blowout of the birds from the city of brotherly love. The Cowboys will next travel to face the second-seeded Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, January 17th at 1 p.m. on FOX.
The Eagles often looked confused, committing nine penalties for 116 yards while also losing three fumbles. Donovan McNabb was sacked four times and also threw an interception.
Dallas carried its strong December into the new year and Tony Romo finally got the preverbal “playoff monkey” off of his back with the win. Now with his first playoff win under his belt, he can now focus winning another playoff game.
The Eagles had problems defending both the Cowboys’ passing game and the Dallas rushing attack.
Felix Jones rushed 16 times for 148 yards and a touchdown while Tashard Choice added 42 yards and a score. Conspicuous by his absence was Marion Barber (2 rushes, 4 yards), who sat out the majority of the game after leaving the game early in the first half.
Maybe it was strategy for next week against the second-seeded Vikings. Got to keep your prize horse healthy for the big race, right?
In any event, two of the more complete teams in the NFL will face each other next week in Minnesota while Philadelphia will head home with many questions to ponder.
What went wrong? Is Donovan McNabb still our quarterback of the future? Is Brian Westbrook done? Has Andy Reid’s tenure in Philly run its course?
Only the Eagles and owner Jeffrey Lurie will be able to answer most of the questions. Jerry Jones, on the other hand, looked all too comfortable shaking the hand of former president George W. Bush in his owner’s box. Something about that image just made me uncomfortable.
But in a season marked by freak accidents and injuries at Cowboys Stadium, the happiest of moments was certainly worth the wait for the Cowboys.
Matt Serocki is a Blogger for Boston Sports U18. He is also a Sports Correspondent for The MetroWest Daily News. He can be reached at mattser82@yahoo.com.
