Rout To The Playoffs

An improbably successful season for the Dallas Cowboys reached a dominating apex Sunday. They left nothing to chance for the final weekend of the regular season by wrapping up the NFC East title a week early, using four touchdown passes by quarterback Tony Romo to coast to a 42-7 triumph over the Indianapolis Colts at AT&T Stadium.

The Washington Redskins’ victory Saturday over the second-place Philadelphia Eagles gave the Cowboys their chance to clinch the division Sunday. The Cowboys (11-4) took full advantage, as Romo completed 18 of 20 passes for 218 yards. He threw touchdown passes to four different receivers and surpassed Troy Aikman as the franchise’s career leader in passing yards.

“It’s just great to see the guys go out and play a really good football game when we needed it,” Romo said.

Romo was given most of the fourth quarter off as Coach Jason Garrett turned to backup quarterback Brandon Weeden. Tailback DeMarco Murray, playing six days after undergoing surgery for a fractured left hand, carried 22 times for 58 yards and added a rushing touchdown as the Cowboys sprinted to a 28-0 advantage in the second quarter and never looked back.

The Colts (10-5), who already had secured the AFC South title, offered practically no resistance. With standout wide receiver T.Y. Hilton on the inactive list because of a hamstring injury, quarterback Andrew Luck threw for just 109 yards with two interceptions before giving way to backup Matt Hasselbeck in the third quarter. The Colts trailed 42-0 before finally scoring with just less than 51/2 minutes remaining.

“When you go out and play like this, it’s a bad feeling,” Luck said. “Against a good team like the Cowboys, you aren’t going to survive those mistakes.”

The Cowboys qualified for the playoffs for the first time since the 2009 season, which also was the last time they won the NFC East.

“This is such a long journey,” Garrett said. “And to get to a point to achieve your first goal of winning the division title, a lot goes into that.”

There was little reason to believe entering the season that this would be a magical year for the Cowboys. The defense was historically bad last season, then lost linebacker DeMarcus Ware and lineman Jason Hatcher to offseason departures and linebacker Sean Lee to a knee injury suffered in a late-May practice. Romo was coming off back surgery in the offseason and settled into a pattern of taking off Wednesdays from practice-field preparations each week.

The Cowboys had gone 8-8 in each of the previous three seasons. They had lost three consecutive season finales with the division title at stake each time.

They signaled that things would be different this season when they followed an opening defeat at home to the San Francisco 49ers with six straight victories, riding the workhorse running of Murray behind a young and talented offensive line. Romo suffered a new back injury during a Monday night loss at home to the Redskins in late October, but he returned to the lineup after missing one game. When the Eagles came to Dallas and won convincingly on Thanksgiving, however, another late-season downward spiral seemed possible.

It didn’t happen this time. The Cowboys have righted themselves with three straight December wins, including an 11-point victory at Philadelphia. When the Redskins beat the Eagles on Saturday at FedEx Field, it meant that the Cowboys had to win only one of their final two regular season games to secure the division crown.

Everything went right for them from the outset Sunday. A taunting penalty on Colts linebacker Jerrell Freeman extended the game’s opening drive for Dallas, and the Cowboys cashed in with Romo’s nine-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Terrance Williams.

The Colts tried a fake punt from deep in their own territory. Punter Pat McAfee delivered an on-target throw to wide-open receiver Dewey McDonald. But McDonald, a safety, dropped the ball. Romo threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to wideout Dez Bryant on the next play. The Cowboys made it 21-0 on Romo’s 24-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Cole Beasley in the opening minute of the second quarter. Murray’s one-yard touchdown run pushed the lead to 28-0 later in the second quarter.

It didn’t happen this time. The Cowboys have righted themselves with three straight December wins, including an 11-point victory at Philadelphia. When the Redskins beat the Eagles on Saturday at FedEx Field, it meant that the Cowboys had to win only one of their final two regular season games to secure the division crown.

The Colts tried a fake punt from deep in their own territory. Punter Pat McAfee delivered an on-target throw to wide-open receiver Dewey McDonald. But McDonald, a safety, dropped the ball. Romo threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to wideout Dez Bryant on the next play. The Cowboys made it 21-0 on Romo’s 24-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Cole Beasley in the opening minute of the second quarter. Murray’s one-yard touchdown run pushed the lead to 28-0 later in the second quarter.