Monday, December 30, 1996

By DENNE H. FREEMAN / Associated Press (Dec. 30, 1996)

IRVING - No team has started the season 1-3 and won a Super Bowl. The Dallas Cowboys are beginning to think they can be that special team.

Trying to win a record fourth Super Bowl in five years, the Cowboys showed with a 40-15 rout of the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday that it's not an outlandish dream.

"Because of the way we started the season, we needed a game like the one against the Vikings," said fullback Daryl Johnston. "Maybe it gave us the confidence we need to get to the Super Bowl. It's just one game. But it was a game we needed. I just hope we can build on it."

The Cowboys meet the NFC West champion Carolina Panthers at 3 p.m. Sunday in a divisional playoff round.

The Viking game was the first time the Cowboys had played in the wild-card round in five years. Although they won the NFC East, the Cowboys were the third-seeded team as the byes went to Green Bay and upstart Carolina.

"This is the time of the year this team looks forward to," said quarterback Troy Aikman. "It'll feel strange if we win next week and we're not going to the Super Bowl because that's where we've been before."

Dallas coach Barry Switzer said Sunday that the Cowboys couldn't have played much better against the Vikings.

"We played the way we should play," Switzer said. "We were a total offensive team for the first time this year. Now, we're playing a team that beat San Francisco twice. We know they're damn good."

Aikman said, "We got great blocking up front and that set the tempo for the day."

Aikman said it is becoming harder and harder for the Cowboys to get up for regular-season games.

"I hoped it was the case that the team was bored in the regular season," he said. "We realize the regular season doesn't really matter and we're judged on how we do in the playoffs. I don't think it's right, but we do have some players that do get bored with the regular season."

"It was a long regular season for us," Switzer said. "The coaches and the players were tired and drained. Sometimes it does get boring. But the playoffs brings excitement. It brings everything up to another level."

The Cowboys came out of the game injury free except for a sprained ankle suffered by rookie linebacker Randall Godfrey.

Dallas will fly into Charlotte on Saturday for its first game against the second-year Panthers.

"(Minnesota) is just one game," said offensive tackle Nate Newton. "We've got to see what we can do against a great Carolina team. They had a week off and I'm sure their coaches are already in their offices dissecting us with that blitz package they have."

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