America's Team is headed to the Metrodome.

A week after blanking the Eagles in their regular-season finale, Dallas cruised to a 34-14 victory over Philadelphia on Saturday night in a first-round playoff game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. This means the Cowboys will face the Vikings at noon next Sunday in Minneapolis. The game already is officially sold out. These teams did not play during the regular season -- the Vikings lost 35-31 to the Cowboys in their final preseason game last summer -- but they certainly have a long playoff history. The Vikings are 2-4 against the Cowboys in the postseason, including 1-2 at home and 1-0 in the Metrodome. (The Vikings are 12-14 all-time against Dallas and only 5-9 at home.) The Cowboys victory Saturday broke a six-game playoff losing streak that dated to 1996. No franchise has ever lost seven playoff games in a row. By the way, do you want one guess which team the Cowboys beat back on Dec. 28, 1996 for their last playoff win before Saturday? That's right, it was the Vikings. Dallas' Wade Phillips also won his first postseason game as a head coach on Saturday after being 0-4. The Vikings should be well prepared and well rested for this game. Players will return to practice on Sunday afternoon after being off since last Tuesday. Heading into this weekend, the three teams the Vikings could have faced in the divisional round were Dallas or the winner of Sunday's game between Arizona and Green Bay. Because the Vikings played the Packers twice and Cardinals once this season, the coaching staff spent much of its time this past week studying the Cowboys. Here are some early thoughts from Chip and me on the Vikings-Cowboys matchup: Judd's take: The Cowboys have won four in a row and are going to present some big challenges (literally) for the Vikings. Dallas is a big and physical team and it looks as if quarterback Tony Romo finally has gained confidence playing this time of year. Romo is getting rid of the ball in quick fashion and this alone could cause issues for a Vikings defense that has struggled when it can't get adequate pressure because offenses go to 3-step drops and quick-rhythm passing. Do you have Benny Sapp remain the left corner and just play Antoine Winfield (foot) in the nickel? That's my guess. One thing I see as a real issue that goes beyond Dallas' wide receivers is how the Vikings are going to defend Cowboys tight end Jason Witten. Witten is 6-foot-5, 263 pounds and he's got good hands. He's the type of tight end that has caused problems for the Vikings and their linebackers. E.J. Henderson will be missed. The Vikings offense, meanwhile, is going to have to get ready for standout linebacker DeMarcus Ware, who was tied for seventh in the NFL this season with 11 sacks. The Vikings were 5-2 against teams that played a base 3-4 defense this season if you include Arizona as a 3-4 team. Get ready to hear a lot about Dallas wide receiver Miles Austin, who finished third in the league with 1,320 receiving yards this season and had 11 touchdowns. (Sidney Rice was fourth with 1,312 receiving yards.) Austin, a fourth-year player out of Monmouth (N.J.), had 28 catches in 37 career games going into 2009. He had 81 receptions this year. Austin was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2006. Chip, your thoughts. Chip's take: To me, the Cowboys are the most difficult matchup of the three possible opponents entering the weekend. The Cowboys have been winning in dominating fashion. A few things to watch: In a rush: The Vikings have to get pressure on Romo because he's obviously in a good rhythm right now. It won't be easy because the Cowboys have a big offensive line and Romo is doing a lot of quick drops right now. The Vikings pass rush is obviously better at home with the crowd noise but they have to find a way to disrupt Romo's timing. A headache: Witten is going to be a tough matchup for the Vikings. The Vikings have had problems covering tight ends the past few seasons and Witten is one of the league's best. He had 94 catches and more than a 1,000 yards receiving this season. He is a tough assignment for rookie Jasper Brinkley and Ben Leber. Big Mac must deliver: Left tackle Bryant McKinnie needs to play like a Pro Bowler against Ware. The Cowboys defense is playing really well right now. They closed the season with back-to-back shutouts and they held the Eagles to seven points in the first half Sunday. The Cowboys finished the season No. 4 in run defense. It might be another game where Brett Favre has to put the offense on his shoulders if Adrian Peterson and running game can't establish anything. Some Vikings-Cowboys playoff factoids: A closer look: The Vikings are 0-2 in divisional round playoff games against the Cowboys. Both were at the old Met Stadium in Bloomington. Next Sunday's game will be a divisional round contest. The Vikings are 1-1 in wild card games against Dallas and 1-1 in NFC title games against the Cowboys. The most memorable: This one isn't tough and for longtime Vikings fans might be as painful as the loss to Atlanta in the 1998 NFC title game. The Vikings lost 17-14 to Dallas on Dec. 28, 1975 in a divisional matchup as Drew Pearson caught Roger Staubach's "Hail Mary" pass for a touchdown to cap a drive that started at the Dallas 15-yard line with 1:51 left in the fourth quarter. To this day many Vikings fans contend Pearson interfered with cornerback Nate Wright but interference was not called. The last time: Running back Robert Smith rushed for a franchise-playoff record 140 yards and Jeff George threw for 212 yards and three touchdowns as the Vikings beat the Cowboys 27-10 on Jan. 9, 2000 in a first-round playoff game at the Metrodome. The Vikings lost 49-37 the following week in St. Louis in the divisional round. The Favre factor: Favre has never beaten Dallas in the playoffs but that lack of success came a long time ago. The Packers had the Cowboys end their season after the 1993, '94 and '95 seasons. The first two losses came in divisional playoff game and the last one came in the NFC title game. All three games were in Dallas. Favre is 12-10 in his career in the postseason but has lost seven of his past 10 games. By the way, Saturday night's result means the winner of the Arizona-Green Bay game on Sunday will play at New Orleans in the divisional round next Saturday.