Count me among the "fooled" pundits who thought the Dallas Cowboys would have the upper hand over the Minnesota Vikings in their divisional round match-up. How wrong we were. Tony Romo turned the ball over three times en route to an embarrassing 34-3 loss to Brett Favre and the Vikings.
The beleaguered Dallas star regressed tremendously from the cautiously efficient QB he became in the latter half of the regular season and last week's win over Philly. Two first half fumbles put the Cowboys in a deep hole. As bad as Romo was, Favre was just the opposite, throwing three TD's to Sidney Rice and another late to Visanthe Shiancoe without tossing a single interception. Needing to complete only 15 passes, Favre relied heavily on his stout defense and a running game that was consistent while not spectacular. Adrian Peterson carried the ball 22 times for a meager 59 yards but kept the defense honest along with back-up Chester Taylor. Dallas did not have that luxury.
Romo was under pressure all afternoon from a relentless Viking front four. Dallas managed to move the ball well in the first half but couldn't give their quarterback enough protection to make short throws, much less down the field. Sacked six times, Romo was constantly running for his life, unable to settle in the pocket and find open receivers. Jason Witten's ten receptions make for a good stat line, but he has never been a game-breaker. Dallas could never mount a drive without shooting themselves in the foot with penalties or turnovers.
Viking fans were raucous in the Metrodome thanks to the Cowboys' early mistakes and never let up. This was exact situation that Brad Childress brought Favre in to handle. Now they'll travel to New Orleans to face the Saints in what I freaking hope won't be a disappointing game.
Speaking of disappointing, Wade Philips could be back on the hot seat after this wholly lacking performance. On the field, where was the Cowboy secondary? The pass rush produced three sacks, but nobody kept track of Sidney Rice. On Rice's first grab, the defender was completely unaware the receiver had the ball, much less that he was taking it in for six points. Kicker Shaun Suisham missed two big field goals after replacing Nick Folk a few weeks ago. It was all too familiar for a Cowboy team that has had its share of disappointments. To lose is one thing, but losing the way they did is unacceptable. Keep an eye out for changes in Dallas after this post-season exit.
Wah-Waaaaaahhh.
Playoff predictions so far: 4-3. I'm starting to even out after a decent start last week. Grr. Here's hoping San Diego has my back.
