Goodbye to the regular season, and hello to the playoffs people! It’s time for The Warmup. On Sunday afternoon, the Dallas Cowboys won their second NFC East title in three years and they did it by dominating a divisional opponent who was thought by many to be the best team in the NFC.

The Cowboys defense absolutely gave the Eagles offense their toughest game all year, no doubt about it. The Dallas offense was just as prolific as it had been the previous two weeks in road wins against Washington and New Orleans. Tony Romo finished the season with the most attempts, completions and yards passing ever by a Cowboys quarterback. This season was also the most prolific in yardage for any Cowboys team ever assembled.

The reward… A THIRD EAGLES MATCHUP! On Saturday night, the Cowboys will welcome the very same team they defeated twice this year, most recently Sunday in a 24-0 win. The conventional wisdom seems to be that it is always more difficult to defeat a team three times in a season, but it was just done last year when the Steelers defeated the Ravens in the playoffs… and eventually won the Super Bowl.

The rematch, in my opinion, could go one of two ways: a very close game in which Dallas is likely to be the winner; or a repeat of what happened only a few days ago. I say this for two reasons: First, the defense of the Cowboys has now pitched two straight shutouts, and that type of play just doesn’t shift overnight, so it’s safe to say the defense will continue their aggressive attack on McNabb and contain the big play. Second, Romo has seemed to turn a corner this year, his career low 9-interceptions this year, combined with his performances against the Eagles twice and the game against New Orleans. He has evolved as a Quarterback, and hopefully put the Big-Game woes behind him.

A very important point that should not go unnoticed for this weekend’s rematch, and also relating to offensive play overall, the need to “finish drives” will be key. Dallas must make sure that when they drive the ball 60+yds down the field and get into Philadelphia territory, that they score… TOUCHDOWNS. Field Goals can come back to haunt you, and turnovers are just unacceptable when you get that close.

Continuing to be aggressive on the defensive side of the ball, and finishing on offensive side of the ball… Dallas should have a great chance of making it to the next round of the playoffs.

Similar Posts:

• On the Road Again: Dallas at Minnesota
• Sunday Night: A Prize Fight in the NFC East
• Window of Opportunity Closing in Dallas
• Behind Enemy Lines: An Eagles’ Perspective
• Down to the Wire: Philly at Dallas