Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings

This is the most intriguing of the four Divisional Round games this weekend. The Dallas Cowboys are playing the best football in the NFL right now, whereas the Minnesota Vikings have limped into the playoffs losing three of their last five games. The fact that the Vikings destroyed the Giants in the final week of the season means nothing because anyone could have beaten the Giants in the final week of the season. What is important to understand in analyzing this game is that the Vikings have a tremendous amount of pressure lingering on their shoulders. Brad Childress brought in Brett Favre this year for one reason: to carry the Vikings to a Super Bowl title. Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels were not going to be the answer in Minnesota. Childress wanted stability and experience at quarterback because he knew he had enough talent on both sides of the ball to win a championship this year. Favre has held up his end of the bargain, leading the Vikings to a division title and a first-round bye in the playoffs. But in the midst of great success, doubt has crept into the minds of the players because of the conflict between Favre and Childress late in the season. Everyone knew that Favre was a diva before he signed with the Vikings. The only person who didn't seem to know was Brad Childress. Tensions are high and will remain high until the Vikings hoist that Lombardi Trophy in Miami. This is a team that knows their window will soon close on an opportunity to win a championship. Brett Favre may be the ultimate personification of a one-hit wonder, meaning he could easily retire next season and leave the Vikings scrambling in the dust. The time is now if the Vikings are going to make a move. Unfortunately for them, America's Team is paying a visit to the Metrodome.

Ever since the Dallas Cowboys upset the New Orleans Saints, they have been playing with a passion and a fire the likes of which were unseen for such a long time. I argued that if the Cowboys were able to beat the Saints that night, then they could be a very dangerous team heading into the postseason. Lo and behold, they finished off the season with back-to-back shutouts of the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles, clinched the NFC East and followed it up with another beatdown of McNabb and company last week. To say that the Cowboys have any pressure in this game is a lie. The Cowboys have surpassed their expectations for this season and everything they accomplish now will be considered an added bonus. Granted they have an owner in Jerry Jones who would like to win a Super Bowl every year, especially with the talent he has accumulated in Big D. But considering how the Cowboys were unable to win in the month of December under Wade Phillips and Tony Romo, along with the fact that they hadn't won a playoff game in 13 years until last weekend, it is fair to say that the Cowboys have had a very successful season. But who's to say they can't go into Minnesota and upset the Vikings on Sunday? The Cowboys certainly have the talent and the personnel to match the Vikings stride for stride. They have a superstar defense that can neutralize Adrian Peterson and pressure Brett Favre in the pocket. And they have the momentum, a tidal wave of momentum that is propelling them onward in this postseason. If recent history has taught us anything, the teams with momentum heading into the postseason will find success. Just look at what the Giants and the Cardinals accomplished over the last two years. And the Cowboys are a team that has everything working in their favor right now. Tony Romo is playing the best football of his career. Felix Jones is emerging as a budding superstar in the backfield. And their defense has been prolific in getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks and forcing turnovers in key situations. The Cowboys are primed to take their show all the way to Miami. They will be ready for everything the Vikings throw at them and will not be afraid to do battle in this heavyweight contest.

The Vikings were undefeated at home this season, which makes it understandable why they are favored in this game. If the game were being played in the colossal confines of Jerry World, then I would probably give the Cowboys a slight edge. The Vikings will need their home-field advantage to kick in against the Cowboys. But even if it does, there is no doubt in my mind that the Vikings will have their hands full all day on both sides of the ball. One thing working in the Vikings' favor is the fact that their offense was seemingly unstoppable over the final six quarters of the regular season. Granted they were facing the defensive units of the Bears and the Giants who were coming off a dreadful 2009. However, for a team that was struggling to score points and were on the opposite end of lopsided defeats, such an offensive outburst may have been the confidence booster needed heading into this game. They feel like they can score on anyone right now and they will attempt to demonstrate that against the Cowboys on Sunday. Look for Brett Favre to come out with guns blazing in this game. He will fire the ball down the field early to Sidney Rice and Visante Shiancoe, hoping to get his team into a rhythm that will allow him to hand the ball off to Adrian Peterson.

Now even though Peterson is coming off a season where he rushed for over 1300 yards and 18 touchdowns, he has not had a 100-yard rushing performance since Week 10 against the Lions. While Peterson is certainly capable of having a big day against the Cowboys, do not expect him to be the focal point of the Vikings offense. Favre and company will want to establish the deep threat before they can start playing smash-mouth football in between the tackles. Their offensive line has to step up in this game, which is something they have been unable to do as of late. They have lost their consistency over the last few weeks, making it very hard on Peterson and Chester Taylor to attack the line of scrimmage and establish their running lanes. The key matchup in this game will be DeMarcus Ware vs. Bryant McKinnie. Ware is the heart and soul of that Cowboys defense, putting incessant pressure on quarterbacks and throwing offenses out of rhythm. McKinnie is going to have a rough time containing Ware along the edges, which means that Favre will have to get rid of the ball quickly. This will put pressure on the Vikings receivers to immediately find holes in the coverage and break free for long strides down the field. Terrence Newman and Mike Jenkins have played spectacular as of late and will be a thorn in the side of Favre all day long. If they are able to find success in neutralizing the deep threat, then Peterson and Chester Taylor will need to save Favre from making mistakes down the field. The Vikings will have to play a conservative game offensively and pound the ball into the heart of that Cowboys defense. Unfortunately for them, the Cowboys were ranked 4th in stopping the run this season. This means that Steve Hutchinson will have to take control of the offensive line, opening the gaps and ensuring that Peterson will have some cutback lanes. There will be times when drives stall for the Vikings because the Cowboys will plug up the middle and get enough pressure on Favre to disrupt his rhythm. At that point, the Vikings will hope that their defense can bail them out of unfavorable situations.

Yet this is a Cowboys team that has hit its stride offensively in the last few weeks. Tony Romo is managing the game well and making good decisions throwing the football. In his last two games against the Eagles, Romo threw for over 500 yards with four touchdowns to just one interception. He is seeing the field very well and has been able to locate his receivers all over the place. Expect more of that on Sunday as he will expose the Vikings secondary over the middle by connecting with Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton. Look for Jason Witten to move along the sidelines and become an easy target for Romo when the deep ball isn't there. But the wild card in this game will be how well the Cowboys run the football. The three-headed monster in Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice has been unstoppable as of late, with Jones emerging as the feature back so far in the postseason. Barber is questionable against the Vikings with a nagging knee injury, which means that Jones will take more baby steps in becoming the primary tool in the backfield. With all that being said, the Vikings finished 2nd in the NFL in stopping the run. This means it will be a significant challenge for the Cowboys offensive line to open up those running lanes and establish dominance on the line of scrimmage. The key to this game will be if Leonard Davis, Andre Gurode, and Kyle Kosler can manipulate the giant behemoths anchoring that Vikings defensive line. I'm talking about the Williams boys named Kevin and Pat. Both are instrumental in stuffing the line of scrimmage and closing the gaps, making it virtually impossible for teams to run on the Vikings. If the Cowboys are able to inflict their will against the Williams boys, it will make it easier for the three-headed monster to feed on the Vikings defense. But that's not all. Another key will be if Flozell Adams can contain the pass rush from Jared Allen. Flozell is the most overrated offensive tackle in football and one of the most penalized. If Allen is quicker than him off the ball, then the Cowboys are going to have trouble because he will destroy Romo's comfort in the pocket, which will lead to plenty of errant throws and possible mistakes. The Cowboys are a well-balanced machine right now and hope to use the Vikings as oil cans throughout the day. It all depends on whether or not Jared Allen and the Williams boys can contain the beastliness of the three-headed monster and force Romo to make bad decisions with the football.

There are so many factors in this game it's not even funny. But here is one more factor: Brett Favre has never beaten the Cowboys in the postseason. Will that spark his motivation on Sunday? We live in a time where momentum is everything with regard to winning in the postseason. The Cowboys are playing loose and fresh right now. They are not feeling the pressure of winning a championship because they have already surpassed expectations this season. They are having fun, which is a real commodity this time of the year. As for the Vikings, they are a very talented football team with enough tools to win the Super Bowl this year. Yet they are running into a buzz saw this week against the Cowboys. Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor do not offer the same kind of threat as they would have at the beginning of the season. Sidney Rice and Bernard Berrian are very talented receivers. But when it comes time to make the big plays, will they step up? Brett Favre is the ageless wonder who wants to leave this game on top of the world. He wants another ring and knows that this may be his last chance to get one. Because of that, Favre has put a tremendous amount of pressure on himself to be the one responsible for leading the Vikings to the promised land. When it comes to leaving it all out on the field, such pressure will be too much to overcome for the Purple Nation. Favre will have his opportunity to be the savior late in the game. But in the end, with so much hanging in the balance, a crucial interception reminiscent of that Giants game two years ago will kill the Vikings and catapult America's Team to this year's NFC Championship Game.

FINAL SCORE: COWBOYS 24, VIKINGS 20