ARLINGTON – The end came on a thrilling 73 yard touchdown run by Felix Jones with 5:33 to play in the third quarter.
It made Jerry Jones high-five a former president and Emmitt Smith high-five his daughter.
It was the clincher.
Or you could say it was the ending.
Dallas ended the sixth-longest active playoff drought in the NFL with a 34-14 smashing of the Eagles on Sunday night in front of 92,951 fans at Cowboys Stadium.
The Cowboys hadn’t won a playoff game since 1996.
It was also Wade Phillips’ first playoff victory as a head coach (1-4).
It was also Tony Romo’s first playoff victory (1-2).
It was the first time Andy Reid had lost a wild card playoff game (4-1).
You could say it was historic.
And the Cowboys did it in the biggest stadium in the league. All the demons the Cowboys have battle though in their postseason history since 1996 ended.
You had hope when the Cowboys won their final two regular season games in 1998 only to get beat by Arizona in the NFC wild card game, 20-7.
Do you remember Troy Aikman’s last playoff game with the Cowboys in 1999 when he went 22 of 38 yards for 286 with no touchdowns and one interception?
Did you believe in Quincy Carter’s future after he led the Cowboys to the postseason in the 2003 season?
Dallas lost at Carolina that year, 29-10. Were you heartbroken as Tony Romo was in 2006 when he fumbled that snap on a potential game-winning field goal at Seattle?
Disbelief. Was that the word that popped into your head after the Cowboys, as the No. 1 seed got beat by the Giants, 21-17 in 2007?
And now, how do you feel after the Cowboys have just ended this winless drought in the postseason?
Dallas took control of this game in the first half.
Rookie tight end John Phillips caught a one-yard touchdown pass, Tashard Choice scored on a one-yard run, Shaun Suisham made two field goals and Miles Austin, the SI coverboy, caught a six yard score to set the tone.
But if was Jones' burst, which made a few people in the suites of Cowboys Stadium stand up and cheer. Yes, the Cowboys are moving on.