I spent Saturday morning trying to decide who I would root for during the wildcard games and kept coming up with no answers. Going into the last week of the season, I was set to root for the Redskins since they were a very average team that was going to squeak their way into the playoffs, but after seeing how Todd Collins had opened up their offense, I was ready to change my mind.

But if not the Redskins then who?

I couldn’t decide. And then it hit me. It doesn’t really matter who we face. If the Cowboys play like they did in the last three games, they are going to have a tough time beating any of the teams. If they play like the did during the first thirteen games, they will beat any of them.

And that’s what it comes down to: will the Cowboys show up to play? Our old coach used to say “you are what you are” and what the Cowboys have been is a team that has faded down the stretch. A coaching change could change that late season fade, but the Cowboys weren’t exactly lighting it up in December, so the question remains.

The Cowboys Need Romo Magic

If the Cowboys are going to do some damage in the playoffs, they are going to need the Tony Romo that was making plays and finding the open receiver. They are going to need that Jedi Knight that seemed to have eyes in the back of his head and the ability to will his team to success.

It’s funny because all season I’d been looking forward to seeing a Cowboys team hitting the playoffs with a healthy Terry Glenn to line up opposite of Terrell Owens to provide one of the scariest one-two punches in the NFL. Now that Glenn might be getting healthy enough to play a whole game, Owens has become a big question mark.

It will be up to Tony Romo to play with that magic and find the open receiver no matter if his name is Owens or Glenn or Witten or Crayton or Hurd. T.O. or no T.O., the Cowboys still have weapons on offense. But those weapons will need to play with intensity and rise up to the challenge.

The Cowboys Need Defense

The other key for the Cowboys will be on the opposite side of the ball. If Owens is unable to go for next week’s matchup or isn’t at 100%, the defense will need to rise to the challenge.

This is a defense capable of doing just that. It’s a defense that has three pro bowl players in the secondary and, while I think the pro bowl is as much a popularity contest as anything, you don’t make the pro bowl by being a bad player. They also have two of the best outside linebackers in the game.

Simply put, it is a defense that is capable of putting the team on their shoulders. But they’ll need to live up to their potential by making plays and, most importantly, not making mistakes. It’s no secret that the Cowboys have a weakness against the deep ball, and no matter if they play Tampa Bay or New York next week, they will be playing a team capable of getting it deep. The secondary will need to play smart while Ellis and Ware gets at the quarterback.

Tampa Bay or New York

That’s what it is down to, and that’s what will be decided on Sunday. But, no matter which of those two comes out with a win, Dallas will need to show up to play. If they do that, they will advance to the NFC championship. If they don’t, it might be a very long offseason.