Cowboys Dismantle Colts 42-7 To Win NFC East
ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) -- The Dallas Cowboys needed a win to secure their first NFC East title since 2009. The Colts had essentially nothing to play for.
That discrepancy was on full display Sunday as Dallas jumped out to a 28-0 first half lead en route to a 42-7 dismantling of the AFC South champion Colts.
As a result, the Cowboys sealed their playoff fate with the franchise's 19th NFC East title.
The Cowboys -- aided by a taunting penalty by Jerrell Freeman on a critical third down -- took the opening drive 80 yards in 8:24 for an early lead.
Each of their next three drives ended with the same result.
The Colts offense, meanwhile, looked out of sync. Dallas collected 17 first downs in the first half before Andrew Luck and the Colts mustered their first.
By that time, the Cowboys were out to a commanding 28-0 lead.
'You could tell that their players didn't really want it today because there [were] a whole lot of dropped passes," said Cowboys safety Barry Church. "They didn't make the plays and we did."
Luck finished the day 15-of-22 for 109 yards with two interceptions.
On the other hand, Tony Romo completed 13 of 14 first half passes for three touchdowns. He finished the day 18-of-20 for 218 yards and four touchdowns.
In the process, Romo supplanted Troy Aikman as the franchise's all-time leader in passing yards. He was replaced by Brandon Weeden in the fourth quarter.
Running back DeMarco Murray -- just six days removed from surgery for a broken bone in his left hand -- carried the ball 22 times for 58 yards and a touchdown.
He was officially listed as a game-time decision heading into the Sunday.
"When I heard he wasn't in danger of exacerbating it, then I felt good about him giving it a go. We need him," said Jerry Jones after the game.
With one game to play, Murray needs 29 yards to set a Cowboys single-season mark for rushing yards. Emmitt Smith rushed for 1,773 yards in 1995.
The Cowboys need help but can still earn a first-round bye by beating Washington next week. By winning on Sunday, the Cowboys assured themselves a home playoff game.
Jones insisted the Cowboys won't approach next week any differently than Sunday.
"I'm not a sitter, especially under these circumstances," said Jones. "I'm going to act like an amateur and play it all. I want to win every first down."
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