Cowboys relying on Ware to shut down Vikings

Written by Tom Oldfield

Brett Favre’s Minnesota fairytale has won over a lot of hearts this year but the red-hot Dallas Cowboys will be in no mood to help the Vikings towards a happy ending on Sunday. And nobody epitomises the new look Cowboys better than linebacker DeMarcus Ware.

Ware has been a tackling and sacking machine over the latter stages of the season and he carried that form into the playoffs against the Philadelphia Eagles. Dallas scored a 34-14 demolition over the Eagles and Ware gave quarterback Donovan McNabb nightmares with his speed. It was hardly a surprise to see Ware force a fourth quarter fumble – after all, he had been equally menacing against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints in week 15.

That win over the Saints propelled Dallas towards a playoff spot and there is no questioning the momentum quarterback Tony Romo and the Cowboys are bringing to Minnesota. Ware is now focusing on adding Favre to the list of quarterbacks he has tormented with his ferocious approach and forcing turnovers will be vital on Sunday. No team can rival the number of sacks that Dallas has managed over the last three years – and that is largely thanks to the 262-pound, 6’4” Ware.

The Vikings will not be fazed easily, though, especially in front of home support. While Favre’s accomplishments – more than 4,200 passing yards while throwing for 33 touchdowns during the regular season – have been well documented, Minnesota have also leaned heavily on running back Adrian Peterson and defensive end Jared Allen, whose battle with Cowboys’ tackle Flozell Adams promises to be decisive. But, for all their strengths, the Vikings will be most worried about stopping Ware, who has the skill set to stop Favre dictating the play..

Sunday’s game looks set to be tight and tense and it would be just typical of Ware to come up trumps when it matters most.

Tags: Adrian Peterson, Brett Favre, Dallas Cowboys, DeMarcus Ware, Flozell Adams, Jared Allen, Minnesota Vikings, Tony Romo