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MINNEAPOLIS -- So much for that hot team theory. The Vikings may have stumbled through the month of December, but they buried the formerly red-hot Cowboys in a 34-3 win that felt like it was over by halftime.

A week after their major breakthrough against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cowboys looked overmatched in the Metrodome. Even coach Wade Phillips, a man who can find a silver lining in the darkest of moments, wasn't able to offer a defense for the Cowboys' tepid showing in a divisional playoff game. It was the second-worst playoff loss in franchise history, surpassed only by a 38-6 loss to the Detroit Lions in 1991.

"It's like an elevator falling all the way from the top; it's tough when it's over," said a grim-faced Phillips. "I was surprised, but they have a good football team."

In the aftermath of a beatdown punctuated by a late Minnesota touchdown in the fourth quarter, it seems odd to say that the Cowboys were ever in the game. But Dallas actually had a shot to grab the momentum in the first quarter. As he'd done during the Cowboys' four-game winning streak, quarterback Tony Romo led the offense into Vikings territory on the first possession of the game. The Cowboys' plan all week was to treat that opening possession as if it were the most important drive in the game.

The strategy worked until Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards raced past right tackle Marc Colombo and stripped the ball from Romo. The Vikings recovered at their 35-yard line and averted an early Cowboys score. After forcing a three-and-out, the Cowboys moved to the Vikings' 30-yard line and elected to attempt a 48-yard field goal instead of going for it on fourth-and-1. Shaun Suisham, who replaced the wayward Nick Folk last month, smothered the ball wide left and it would be fair to say the Cowboys never posed another serious challenge.

"Obviously, we need to get points out of those drives," said Romo. "It's not on any one person but we all need to play better. When you go into a place like this, points matter."

What Romo is saying is the Cowboys missed a huge opportunity to limit the home crowd's influence early in the game. I think the Metrodome is louder than the Superdome, a place where the Cowboys had one of their biggest wins of the season. Even the PA announcer sounded as if he was taunting the Dallas offense as the Vikings' front four took over the game.

In my talking points for Sunday's matchup, someone forgot to tell me that Edwards was one of the best pass-rushers in the league. And to think, I wasted so much time on the Williams Wall and Jared Allen, who didn't have much of an impact until Cowboys left tackle Flozell Adams left the game with a right calf strain with 7:18 left in the first half. On the first two plays after Adams' departure, Allen tackled Felix Jones in the backfield and then caused a Romo fumble, which led to a Vikings field goal and a 17-3 lead. For unknown reasons, tight end Jason Witten ended up "blocking" Allen one-on-one on those two plays. I asked Adams' replacement Doug Free if he was supposed to be helping Witten against Allen, but he said he wasn't sure what happened. It seemed like a pretty good description of how most of his teammates felt following the loss.

The aforementioned Edwards had three sacks, six hurries, a forced fumble and five tackles. I didn't see a lot of No. 91 jerseys inside the Metrodome, but they'll probably be taken off the discount rack this week. Colombo has been the emotional leader of the Cowboys' offensive line since Bill Parcells salvaged his career, but he was physically whipped by the younger, faster Edwards on Sunday. Edwards finished the regular season with 8.5 sacks but he's often in the sizable shadow of Allen.

"He has played at a high level this year, just in terms of production," Childress said of Edwards. "But he showed up and he is always making plays and chasing the football. He's an extra heartbeat guy."

After the game, Childress took the opportunity to beat his chest and talk about the "nonsense" of the Cowboys being the hottest team in the playoffs. Down the road, the Cowboys will be able to look back at '09 as a successful season. They won a playoff game for the first time in 13 years and young players such as Mike Jenkins and Miles Austin have an opportunity to be stars in this league for a long time. Though he hasn't come right out and said it, owner Jerry Jones is going to bring back Wade Phillips for at least one more season. Phillips' defense was one of the best in the league over the past month and there's no need to make significant changes to the unit. I asked Phillips if he considered this a successful season.

"Well, our goal was to win it all and this isn't a success," said Phillips. "I do think we did a lot of great things and I thought winning the division was important and winning the playoff game at home was important. We need to get back to that point again next year."

The defense played well enough to give the Cowboys a chance at a comeback in the third quarter, but Brett Favre simply overwhelmed them in the first half. On his first of three touchdown passes to Sidney Rice, Favre launched a deep ball that was so precise that Cowboys safety Gerald Sensabaugh had no clue the ball had been caught. After the game, inside linebacker Keith Brooking wasn't looking for a silver lining.

"I don't consider this season a success," he told ESPN.com. "We took some steps in the right direction, but I wouldn't call it a successful season. You dive into the NFL season every year and then it comes to an abrupt halt like this. I'll go home tomorrow and ask my wife, 'What the hell do I do now?'"

It's a question a lot of Cowboys fans will be asking as well.

MINNEAPOLIS -- I know, I know. We spent much of last week discussing Minnesota’s shaky pass protection and its hit-or-miss home-field advantage. So let’s be clear from the top: Brett Favre had enough time to throw four touchdown passes Sunday, and the Metrodome has never been louder.

From my vantage point, however, neither dynamic told the story of the Vikings’ 34-3 victory. To me, it was this: Minnesota battered Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, resurrecting its pass rush just in time to face the NFL’s most explosive passing game for the right to play in Super Bowl XLIV.

The Vikings held Dallas’ offense to a season-low in total yardage (248) and first downs (16), in the process sacking Romo six times and unofficially hitting him on 10 other occasions.

“He was wide-eyed a lot,” defensive tackle Kevin Williams said. “We were getting after him from the start, and that’s what it’s going to take next week, too.”

Indeed, the Vikings will take on New Orleans’ top-ranked passing offense next Sunday at the Superdome. “If we do next week what we did today,” said cornerback Antoine Winfield, “we’ll be good.”

And what exactly did the Vikings do Sunday?

They harassed Romo into three turnovers; on a fourth opportunity, he recovered his own fumble.

Left end Ray Edwards beat right tackle Marc Colombo for three sacks before leaving with a sprained knee.

Right end Jared Allen, capitalizing on an injury to Cowboys left tackle Flozell Adams, finished with a sack, a forced fumble and another tackle behind the line of scrimmage.

In all, the Vikings' defensive line totaled five of the Vikings’ six sacks against a Cowboys group that seemed content to single block them for most of the game.

“They were trying to,” nose tackle Pat Williams said. “But we’ve got the best defensive line in the league. Doesn’t matter to us what anyone else says. We go into every game thinking that.”

The Vikings led the NFL with 48 sacks this season, but like the entire team, their pass rush slipped over the final five games. During that stretch, they managed eight sacks.

Sunday, Allen traced that downturn in production to a significant adjustment from opposing offenses.

“I know everyone thinks you should get three sacks a game,” he said. “but that’s just not reality. … [In that stretch], we saw a lot of mass protection, a lot of three-step [drops]. You’re getting chips from the tight end, chips from the back. When we’re rushing four and they’re blocking seven, you’re just not going to get there.”

The Cowboys, however, had different ideas. As he watched film during the Vikings’ recent bye week, defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier noted how rarely the Cowboys kept tight end Jason Witten in the backfield to block. With Adams and two Pro Bowl players on their offensive line (center Andre Gurode and right guard Leonard Davis), the Cowboys didn’t seem to be likely candidates for double-teaming the Vikings’ defensive line.

“We liked our matchup from Day 1,” Allen said. “We thought there were some things we could take advantage of and we knew that because they had so much confidence in their offensive line, that we were going to get some opportunities. That’s exactly what happened.”

And it was clearly a mistake. Anyone who watched Sunday’s game can attest to how quickly Romo turned jittery. A quick recap:

Edwards ended the Cowboys’ first drive with a strip sack of Romo.

On Dallas’ second series, Romo recovered his own fumble on a 2nd-and-6 play, losing three yards. The Cowboys fell 1 yard short of converting the ensuing third down, and Shaun Suisham’s 48-yard field goal was wide left.

Should I go on? Edwards sacked Romo on 2nd-and-goal from the Vikings’ 8-yard line on the Cowboys’ third series. Romo still looked stunned when he threw incomplete on 3rd-and-15.

On the second play of his fourth possession, Romo lost a fumble on Allen’s sack.

“This game is not rocket science,” Romo said. “If they have the ability to get pressure from the front four, it allows you to play a pretty sound game defensively.”

How confident were the Vikings in their defense Sunday? Leading 17-3 at halftime, their offense went into a modified four-minute drill. In other words, they started trying to run out the clock. In their 13 third-quarter plays, Minnesota threw only four times.

Keep in mind, this was against a Cowboys offense that had scored 58 points in its past two games.

“They overlooked us,” Pat Williams said, “and that’s fine. Basically, that’s how they ride down there. I don’t blame them, I guess. They’re young. They can be cocky. They’ve got a cocky owner, so that’s how they ride. But they came into this dome, and it was hostile for them. ”

They’ll need a similar effort next Sunday in New Orleans, a topic I’m sure we’ll revisit once or twice this week.

“We skidded a little bit toward the end of the season,” Kevin Williams said. “And so all we heard last week was about Dallas. I’m sure all we’ll hear about this week is New Orleans. All that matters to us is that we played the way we are capable of. We just need a chance to get after them.”

That’s the story -- and we’re sticking to it.

Vikings quarterback Brett Favre talks about Minnesota’s win over Dallas.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Tempers flared Sunday at the Metrodome after Minnesota’s final touchdown of a 34-3 playoff victory over Dallas. Cowboys linebacker Keith Brooking sprinted toward the Vikings’ sideline, taunting coach Brad Childress and later calling the late score “classless.”

Vikings nose tackle Pat Williams, meanwhile, said Brooking was lucky to escape the Minnesota sideline in one piece.

“We don’t care what Keith Brooking says,” Williams said. “He was about to get his ass whupped on our sideline over there. It don’t matter. Nobody said anything when they blew out the Eagles [the past two weeks]. It’s the playoffs. It ain’t no regular-season game. If you lose, you go home. We take no pity on them. Do they expect us to? I don’t care about no Brooking. He can say whatever he wants to say.”

To recap: Ahead 27-3 late in the fourth quarter, Childress left his starters in the game. The Cowboys gave up the ball on downs at their 37-yard line with 5:26 remaining, and the Vikings threw three passes on their ensuing six-play drive. The final one was an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe on fourth-and-3 with 1:55 remaining.

Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said the Vikings ran up the score. Said Brooking: “I thought it was classless. I thought it was B.S. Granted, we get paid to stop them, but we had zero timeouts left. I didn’t think there was any call for that.”

Told of Brooking’s comments, Shiancoe laughed and said: “OK, we apologize. I’m sorry. Better?”

The Vikings certainly didn’t need that score to win the game, and I stand by what I wrote after the game. But do the Cowboys have a right to be upset? Did they run it up the past two weeks on Philadelphia? Don’t forget that Childress and Eagles coach Andy Reid remain close friends.

Feel free to weigh in both this post and over at SportsNation.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The NFC’s season-long dream matchup is now a reality.

New Orleans and Minnesota will square off next Sunday in the NFC Championship Game, thanks to Minnesota’s thorough dismantling of Dallas at the Metrodome. Receiver Sidney Rice (three touchdowns) and a dominating pass rush (six sacks, three turnovers) simply overwhelmed what had been a red-hot Cowboys team.

It will be Minnesota’s first appearance in the NFC Championship Game since the 2000 season.

The Vikings were a confident team all year at the Metrodome, where they finished 9-0 and scored at least 27 points in every game. They are 4-4 on the road and will need every bit of the pass rush they displayed Sunday to slow down New Orleans’ explosive offense.

There have been some wild Vikings-Saints games at the Superdome recently, as we discussed Saturday. But let’s slow down here. We have plenty of time to talk about the delicious pending matchup. For now, let’s agree that the Vikings just dismantled a popular recent pick to win the Super Bowl.

I wasn’t a big fan of the Vikings’ decision to leave their starters in the game and throw into the end zone on fourth down with 1:55 remaining. But with the Saints looming, it’s clear that coach Brad Childress wasn’t about to let his foot off the gas.

More in a few hours.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota receiver Sidney Rice just tied an NFL postseason record with his third touchdown reception, sealing this divisional playoff game for the Vikings.

Rice has caught six passes for 141 yards -- including scores of 47, 16 and 45 yards. I’ll let my NFC East colleague Matt Mosley explain whether the Cowboys watched any film of Rice before deciding to match up with him in one-on-one coverage for much of this game.

I’ll be back with you shortly after the game.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota defensive end Ray Edwards is having a career game here Sunday, but right now he’s on the Vikings bench having his right knee looked at for the second time.

Edwards has three sacks and is a big reason Dallas quarterback Tony Romo has seemed so uncomfortable in the pocket. But he now has an ice wrap on the knee and doesn’t seem likely to return.

The Vikings have set a new team playoff record with six sacks Sunday. I think I know what I’ll be writing postgame.

MINNEAPOLIS -- I'm normally the first man in line to criticize the work of Brad Childress, but I think he made a wise decision in punting rather than having Ryan Longwell attempt a 53-yard field goal. And not simply because the punt took a Vikings bounce at the 2-yard line.

Childress is scared to give the Cowboys any spark at this point in the game. If Longwell misses, the Cowboys would've had good field position with about five minutes to go in the third quarter. Several ESPN.com writers disagreed with this opinion, but I'm sticking with it.

In case I don't have another chance to say this, Mat McBriar is an absolute weapon for the Cowboys. He keeps them in games at times when folks don't even notice.

MINNEAPOLIS -- My immediate reaction when Minnesota eschewed a 53-yard field goal attempt to punt here in the latter stages of the third quarter: Mistake.

Ryan Longwell has been on target all season long and was a first alternate for the Pro Bowl. The Vikings had a chance to make this a three-score game, and punter Chris Kluwe isn’t always the most reliable directional kicker.

But like everything else the Vikings have tried Sunday, the decision caused no immediate damage. Kluwe’s punt went out of bounds at the 2-yard line. The Vikings' defense overwhelmed the Cowboys, forcing a punt. And after about a minute of game time, the Vikings have the ball back near midfield.

It’s still 17-3 here with 3:57 left in the third quarter. The Vikings' offense has bogged down, perhaps fearful of a mistake that could get the Cowboys back in the game, but they remain two scores ahead.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Some halftime thoughts from the Metrodome, where my ears are ringing from the game-long din of the crowd:

• The amazing thing is that Dallas’ offense was moving up and down the field in the first quarter and the start of the second. The Cowboys’ plan to run directly at Vikings pass-rusher Jared Allen seemed smart, and they possessed the ball for 14:54 of the first 17:49 of the game. And yet they had only a 33-yard field goal to show for it. A missed 47-yard field goal and some well-timed pass rushes from the Vikings defense kept Minnesota in the game during that surge.
• In his first career playoff appearance, Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards is having the game of his life. He has three sacks and three other hits of Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. I’m wondering if the Cowboys would have replaced right tackle Marc Colombo -- if his likely replacement wasn’t needed on the other side.
• That’s right. Cowboys offensive lineman Doug Free ended up replacing an injured Flozell Adams at left tackle in the second quarter. Almost immediately, Allen sprang to life. After Adams departed, Allen had three tackles and a strip-sack of Romo.
• Vikings tailback Adrian Peterson has 25 yards on nine carries, but it should be noted that both of Brett Favre’s touchdown passes to Sidney Rice came on play-action passes. Peterson also converted an important first down with a 19-yard reception.
• The Frisbee dogs are performing at halftime, and they are awesome.
• I was surprised the Vikings didn’t look for Rice or tight end Visanthe Shiancoe on their second-to-last possession of the half. They ended up settling for a 23-yard field goal from Ryan Longwell.
• Remember earlier this week, when we called the Vikings’ home-field advantage a 50-50 proposition come playoff time? I think it’s leaning toward the positive 50 percent to this point. I’ve never heard a Metrodome crowd sustain its energy through an entire half as it has Sunday. The Cowboys are trailing by only two scores and have a high-powered offense, but they seemed pretty demoralized walking off the field at halftime.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Cowboys left tackle Flozell Adams has left the game with a right calf strain and his return is questionable, according to the club. He was replaced by Doug Free on the Cowboys' last possession. Free filled in at right tackle for seven games during Marc Colombo's injury absence, but he's not seen any time on the left side.

For unknown reasons, tight end Jason Witten ended up one-on-one with Jared Allen on the Cowboys' last possession. I have no clue what that was about. May have been miscommunication. Let's talk soon.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Dallas’ offense has held the ball for 14:54 of the first 17:49 of this game. Should Minnesota feel fortunate to lead 7-3 here early in the second quarter? Or should they be worried about the second-half repercussions of that statistic on their defense?

Or, is it a warning sign about their offense?

Discuss.

MINNEAPOLIS -- I believe it was Dallas safety Gerald Sensabaugh who said last week that the Cowboys would have to beat themselves in order to lose Sunday at the Metrodome.

Sensabaugh, however, just got smoked by Minnesota receiver Sidney Rice on a 47-yard touchdown pass from Brett Favre. Sensabaugh got so turned around that he never saw the ball delivered, caught or even returned to the official after the score.

Seriously, though, the Cowboys are probably still wondering how their strong safety got locked up one-on-one with the Vikings’ Pro Bowl receiver. I’m guessing it was a blown coverage. Quarterback Brett Favre immediately identified the mismatch and laid a perfect pass down the right sideline.

Vikings lead 7-0 here as the first quarter is winding down.

MINNEAPOLIS -- On Brett Favre's 47-yard touchdown pass to Sidney Rice, the Cowboys had safety Gerald Sensabaugh in one-on-one coverage. The Vikings will take that matchup all day long. And this is what the Cowboys feared the most: falling behind and allowing this crowd to take over.

On the touchdown pass, it looked like Terence Newman passed off Rice to Sensabaugh after about 20 yards. Sensabaugh actually had good coverage on Rice, but he never looked back and found the ball. Even when Rice was dancing into the end zone, Sensabaugh still looked like he was clueless.

I'll try to find out after the game if that was all Sensabaugh's fault.

MINNEAPOLIS -- We're 15 minutes away from kickoff and it's already loud in the Metrodome. I just bumped into this guy in the tunnel, and he's about to lead the Vikings onto the team on a motorcycle. I made brief eye contact with Vikings owner Zygi Wilf, but he darted in the other direction.

I've covered playoff games inside the Metrodome, but I've never sensed this type of energy for a game. The Vikings just showed a video on the video board of Jared Allen saying that Jessica Simpson "makes his ears bleed." Perhaps he didn't get the word that Tony Romo dumped Simpson (and her father, Joe) several months ago.

And Vikings mascot, Ragnar, just hog-tied a man posing as Romo. These folks are taking it to a different level. In other news, I'm told that Marion Barber will be playing at "90 percent" in today's game. That's about 15 percent higher than he was heading into last week's playoff game against the Eagles.

Back with more in a moment.