The Dallas Cowboys finally put a halt to 13 years of play-off frustration with a crushing 34-14 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday night.
The in-form Cowboys, who will now visit the Minnesota Vikings for an NFC divisional play-off game next Sunday, had not won a post-season contest since December 28, 1996 when they defeated the Vikings 40-15.
Their quarterback Tony Romo passed for two touchdowns and Felix Jones ran 73 yards for a score as Dallas won their fourth consecutive game.
The Cowboys had beaten the Eagles 24-0 behind an aggressive defence last Sunday to conclude the regular season and were able to carry the momentum from that rout into this match.
"This team has hung together all year, got stronger at the end of the year and is playing our best football," said the Dallas head coach Wade Phillips.
"I think we're playing as good as anybody right now."
"We all know at the end of the day this isn't a subjective evaluation business," said Jerry Jones, the Cowboys owner.
"This is who wins the game. And that's ultimately how you're judged.
"I think we've had teams in the past that could have and should have had a play-off win and had a chance to go on, but they didn't do it, so that's what you deal with."
And Jones was also quick to praise his coach, who had previously never won a game in the play-offs.
"Here's a guy that has spent a career in the NFL really having an outstanding career in 99 per cent of the areas of the NFL that count," Jones said.
"Here's someone who's added some real substance to his head coaching career."
The game was decided in the second quarter when the Cowboys scored 27 points as Romo orchestrated five consecutive drives that ended with a score.
John Phillips and Miles Austin caught short-range touchdown passes, Tashard Choice ran one in and Shaun Suisham kicked two field goals.
"It's just rewarding," said Romo, who completed 23 of 35 passes for 244 yards.
"It makes me proud of the guys in there - fighting, grinding, staying committed to the approach.
"I'm happy for the guys, happy for Wade, happy for Jerry."
The defeat was the first time in seven games the Eagles had lost their opening play-off game under their head coach Andy Reid.
"They were better all the way around," Reid said as he acknowledged his side's shortcomings.
"When you get your tail kicked, it's not a great feeling. No one expected it."
Quintin Mikell, the Eagles safety, admitted: "They beat us twice, so they are that much better than us.
"You can't sit here after a loss like that and say they're not that much better than us.
"We have a lot to work on for next year."
The 73-yard touchdown run by Jones was Dallas' only score after the break. He finished the game with 178 yards on the ground.
More importantly, Romo won his first play-off game, but said he had not felt any more pressure than usual going into the game because of the Cowboys' long play-off drought.
"Maybe because I've only been playing for four years now," he said.
"The other thing is if you're good enough, you'll win. If I wasn't good enough to win a play-off game as a quarterback then I wouldn't have.
"I think maybe if you were John Elway in your last year or two or something, but there's so much ahead for this football team."
* With agencies
The Written World: How Literature Shaped History
Martin Puchner
Granta
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
WWE Evolution results
- Trish Stratus and Lita beat Alicia Fox and Mickie James in a tag match
- Nia Jax won a battle royal, eliminating Ember Moon last to win
- Toni Storm beat Io Shirai to win the Mae Young Classic
- Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley beat The Riott Squad in a six-woman tag match
- Shayna Baszler won the NXT Women’s title by defeating Kairi Sane
- Becky Lynch retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing match
- Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women’s title by beating Nikki Bella
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
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- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
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The biog
Title: General Practitioner with a speciality in cardiology
Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India
Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur
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Remembers a time when medicines from India were purchased per kilo
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Army of the Dead
Director: Zack Snyder
Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera
Three stars
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MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Everton
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
When: Sunday, kick-off 7pm (UAE)
How to watch: Live on BeIN Sports 11HD
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ahmed Raza
UAE cricket captain
Age: 31
Born: Sharjah
Role: Left-arm spinner
One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95
T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
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