Sunday, Janaury 17th:Noon
Years of playoff frustration for the Dallas Cowboys came to an end Saturday evening at Cowboys Stadium. The ‘Boys demolished their division rival Philadelphia Eagles 34-13.

That’s 13 years to be exact...4,760 days...since their last playoff victory on December 28, 1996, which ironically came against their next opponent, the Minnesota Vikings. Safety George Teague was the star of the game as the Cowboys took advantage of five Vikings turnovers to take a 30-0 lead before easily winning 40-15. To put into perspective how long ago this was, future Cowboys wide receivers Keyshawn Johnson, Terry Glenn and Terrell Owens were rookies. Current Cowboys DeMarcus Ware and Jason Witten were just 14 years-old and Tony Romo was 16 years-old. Brett Favre was the NFL MVP as he led the Green Bay Packers to the Super Bowl XXXI championship over Bill Parcells, Drew Bledsoe and the New England Patriots.

The same Brett Favre led the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC North title this season. Following last season, Favre retired from the New York Jets, only to un-retire near the end of training camp and join the Vikings. At the age of 40, Favre turned in one of his best seasons as he threw for 4,202 yards with 33 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. Upon a closer look, Brett Favre was essentially perfect at home as he threw for 21 TDs against only two interceptions.

“It’s been a great year,” Favre said. “I’m not surprised by the fact that we are in the playoffs. This team is capable of a lot of good things.”

Before last Saturday, Tony Romo (whose style is often compared to that of Brett Favre) was 0-2 in the playoffs, with two heart-breaking losses. But that was then. This is now. “It’s rewarding,” Romo said, after earning his first playoff win. “We still have loftier goals, though.”

If those “loftier goals” are to include a Super Bowl run, the Cowboys’ next step comes Sunday at noon at Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis. This will be no easy task as the Vikings went 8-0 at home this season, with much of their “home-field advantage” based on the noise.

“I’ve played in almost all of the stadiums in the NFL,” Vikings defensive tackle Pat Williams said. “I think ours is the loudest.”

Romo, Felix Jones, and Miles Austin will have their hands full with the tough Vikings defense led by Jared Allen, but the key to a Cowboys victory will be DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer, and the rest of the defense and their ability to shutdown Favre and running back Adrian Peterson. If they are able to control the line of scrimmage as they have the last four weeks, the Metrodome should be as quiet as the Superdome in New Orleans when the Cowboys destroyed the Saints bid for a perfect season.

America’s Team is leaving the plush Cowboys Stadium behind to head up to the raggedy old Metrodome to take on the team they fleeced in the Herschel Walker trade en route to three Super Bowl titles in the 1990s. Expect the Dallas Cowboys to leave town with a smile on their face.