Judd and I both picked the Vikings to win Sunday, but neither of us thought it would be so one-sided. The Vikings easily played their best game of the season in all three phases in steamrolling the Cowboys 34-3 at Mall of America Field at the Metrodome.

The Vikings advanced to next Sunday's NFC championship game against the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome. We'll have plenty of analysis from their victory Sunday online and in the paper but here are some notes and quotes from the postgame:

-- Vikings coach Brad Childress was fairly blunt about how the Cowboys received a lot of national attention in the week leading up to the game.

"I heard all that nonsense and all the hype about Dallas Cowboys coming to town, the hottest team in the playoffs," he said. "I asked my team early in the week to choke it back and shut up. We will play the game when we get here on Sunday. The game is always won on the football field. I am tickled to death for those guys; I knew they would play their tail off and be able to dispel that myth of (who) was coming to town." Asked what he meant by "choke it back and shut up," Childress said: "Just that the Tasmanian Devils that were coming from Dallas that were about to bombard the state of Minnesota and run through us like Sherman through the South. That was the aura that was left after last weekend's games. All of us kind of felt that quite palpably. All of it, and then we had about enough of it come Tuesday. They did a great job with that. It's hard to get guys like this to stifle themselves." -- Brett Favre became the first 40-year-old quarterback to win a playoff game in NFL history. Favre completed 15 of 24 passes for 234 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. In nine games at the Metrodome this season, Favre threw 25 touchdown passes and only 2 interceptions.

-- Sidney Rice played like a Pro Bowl receiver today. He caught six passes for 141 yards and tied an NFL postseason record with three touchdown catches. Rice had touchdown catches of 47 and 45 yards. On his 16-yard TD, he wasn't even supposed to got out for a pass. His job was to block LB DeMarcus Ware. Rice cutblocked Ware, got up and slipped into the pattern and Favre found him in the middle of the field. On Rice's performance, Favre said: "I said from Day 1 that Sidney is that type of player," Favre said. "I hate to compare him or put him in categories because I think he's in a category by himself. There's faster guys, there's taller guys, there's quicker guys. But the thing about Sidney is -- and I've played with guys like him as far as work ethic -- he wants to be good."

-- The story defensively for the Vikings was their pass rush. Led by Ray Edwards and Jared Allen, the Vikings made Dallas quarterback Tony Romo uncomfortable all game. Edwards had a career game with five tackles, three sacks, six quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. Edwards left the game in the third quarter with a right knee injury and early indications are that it's a sprain. As a team, the Vikings sacked Romo six times and had 10 hurries.

-- After carrying the ball only nine times in the Vikings' regular-season finale, running back Adrian Peterson gained 63 yards on 26 carries (a 2.4) average and his longest run went for only 11 yards. The Cowboys had the NFL's fourth-rated run defense in the regular season and Peterson was not the least bit fazed by his lack of success. "A lot of guys contributed today and we knew in the running game it was going to be famine, famine, feast," he said. "We just kept pounding those guys and we had some big plays by Sidney Rice and other receivers really contributed to the offense."

-- Safety Tyrell Johnson was credited with only two tackles, but he had perhaps his best performance of the season. The coaches were planning on rotating Johnson and rookie Jamarca Sanford like they did in the regular-season finale against the New York Giants. But they stayed with Johnson the entire game because they felt he had a "good rhythm," according to Childress.

Johnson had several big plays in the third quarter in particular. His hit prevented receiver Miles Austin from getting his feet down inbounds along the sideline on a third-down catch. Johnson later came up in run support and tackled Felix Jones for a 4-yard loss. "Tyrell stepped up knowing that Jamarca is pushing and trying to get playing time," Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said. "To see Tyrell respond the way he did was great for our football team."

-- The Vikings coverage teams easily had their best showing of the season. The Cowboys averaged only 15.4 yards on seven kickoff returns and did not have any punt return yards. "Our coverage units were unbelievably outstanding," Childress said.

-- Cornerback Antoine Winfield, who played exclusively on the inside in the nickel package in the regular-season finale because the Vikings wanted to get him some rest for his injured right foot, played in short-yardage base situations Sunday and also was used inside in the nickel. Frazier said it was all about making sure the Vikings continued to take care of Winfield's foot. "He's so, so key to us," Frazier said. "When I saw him moving the way he was in practice on Thursday, I told one of our coaches, I said, 'You know what? We're going to play lights out.' I really felt that way, just seeing how he moved and I just know what he does for our defense. His presence. It's much like if Jared [Allen] wasn't out there or Kevin [Williams]."

-- Favre appeared to be upset with referee Walt Anderson after being thrown to the turf in the third quarter by Cowboys linebacker Bradie James. The play had been blown dead because wide receiver Percy Harvin had been called for a false start. Because of the noise, Favre dropped back and threw a pass that was caught down field by Rice but the play was dead. Favre was slammed to the ground as he let go. But he wasn't upset about the hit, rather it was the call he wanted to debate with Anderson.

"I didn't even think about that," Favre said of being hit late. "Of course, you need to take it for what it's worth, but I thought they jumped. I thought we snapped it as their guy was getting back. We've done a great job of that this year. So we took a shot down the field. If I got hit late or whatever, I just thought that … I think that's the first time the call has actually gone against us in that type of play. But that's probably what I was talking to Walt about." By the way, Anderson's crew called eight penalties against the Vikings and two against the Cowboys. Anderson, a Texas native, is the head of a crew that called the most penalties in the NFL this season.