ARLINGTON, Texas – These aren’t the same old disappointing Dallas Cowboys. If anything, they’re starting to play like some of the really old versions.
Tony Romo broke open a scoreless game with five straight scoring drives in the second quarter, sending Dallas past Philadelphia 34-14 Saturday night for the Cowboys’ first playoff victory since 1996.
Dallas had lost six straight postseason games and would have set an NFL record with another one. But now all those skids are history, buried along with the notions that Wade Phillips (0-4 as a head coach) and Tony Romo (0-2) couldn’t win a playoff game.
Romo presented game balls to Phillips and owner Jerry Jones in an emotion-filled Cowboys locker room right after the game.
The way the Cowboys have played over the last four games – all wins, behind dominating defense and efficient offense – they could be sticking around a while this postseason. Next up for Dallas is a trip to Minnesota on Jan. 17, with Romo taking on childhood hero Brett Favre.
“Just keep trying to get better and eventually things will go your way,” Romo said. “Going out there and playing this way we have lately is very exciting. If we just keep going forward, we got a chance.”
The Eagles are one-and-done in the playoffs for the first time under coach Andy Reid. Philadelphia had been 7-0 in playoff openers with Reid and 6-0 with Donovan McNabb at quarterback.
Michael Vick threw a 76-yard touchdown pass that made it 7-7 early in the second quarter but later messed up a handoff deep in his own territory, with Dallas recovering the fumble. Romo turned it into a touchdown that made it 24-7 on the way to 27-7 at the half.
When Felix Jones stretched it to 34-7 with a 73-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter, Dallas’ 4,760-day drought between playoff victories was all but over.
Romo finished 23 of 35 for 244 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers.
With Marion Barber limited to three carries because of a knee injury that kept him out of practice Thursday, Jones became the featured back; he wound up with the first 100-yard game of his career. He finished with 148 yards on 16 carries and turned one short catch into a dazzling 30-yard gain on the opening drive.
