Vikings left tackle Bryant McKinnie earned his first Pro Bowl selection this season and there's no doubt he'll have to play like one Sunday against Cowboys Pro Bowl outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware.

Ware notched 11 sacks this season and is one of the premier pass rushers in the NFL. This is a tough assignment for McKinnie, who was benched after struggling against Carolina's Julius Peppers late in the season. "Very high tempo so you have to match his intensity," McKinnie said when asked about Ware's strengths. Both Vikings tackles face big challenges. Rookie Phil Loadholt will be matched primarily against outside linebacker Anthony Spencer, who is playing at a very high level right now. Spencer earned NFC defensive player of the week honors for his performance against the Philadelphia Eagles in the regular-season finale after recording five tackles, two sacks, two quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. "You can tell he's a quick player," Loadholt said. "Uses his hands real well." Ware and Spencer combined for three sacks, four quarterback hurries and a forced fumble in the Cowboys playoff victory against the Eagles on Saturday. The two linebackers switch sides occasionally so the Vikings tackles will see action against both of them. Loadholt said it's no secret why both Ware and Spencer are so dangerous. "Definitely their size and speed," he said. "When you have a combination like that and you're obviously good pass rushers it makes it tough for anybody to match up with." The Vikings likely will use tight ends and running backs to help their tackles. Tight end Jim Kleinsasser called Ware and Spencer "big bruisers." "You want to make sure they don't get into a groove and build up some major confidence throughout the game and start teeing off on you," Kleinsasser said. "It's going to be tough. They're big, strong, fast. They're the prototypical 3-4 linebackers out there." McKinnie said getting the running game on track will take some of the pressure off because the tackles won't constantly be in pass protection. "You want to set the tone early," he said. "That's why you kind of want to have a good running game and be able to set it up for play-action. You do your passes here and there instead of just passing the whole game. That's how [pass rushers] get into a rhythm. When they feel like the team is behind and they have to keep passing the ball to catch up. They just pin their ears back and they're not even really reading run too much. Everything is straight pass protection."