ARLINGTON, Texas -- Jerry Jones exclaimed, "demons are GONE!" Keith Brooking pretended to pull a monkey off the back of coach Wade Phillips.
And Tony Romo waxed poetic about the process, about getting better every game and hoping for a reward at the end.



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In a way, each of their reactions was pretty appropriate considering all the ramifications of the Dallas Cowboys' 34-14 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday night.
The Cowboys won their first playoff game since Dec. 28, 1996, easily the longest in the club's proud history. The skid included six losses; a seventh would've set an NFL record.
Phillips was 0-4 in the playoffs as a head coach, covering stints with Denver and Buffalo, too. Romo was 0-2, with bizarre circumstances surrounding each. Fittingly enough, Phillips' defense was a huge reason for this victory, and Romo broke the game open with five straight scoring drives in the second quarter.
"It's just ... rewarding," Romo said. "It makes me proud of the guys in there -- fighting, grinding, staying committed to the approach. I'm happy for the guys, happy for Wade, happy for Jerry."

View full sizeAP Photo | WINSLOW TOWNSONBaltimore running back Ray Rice celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter of the Ravens 33-14 victory over New England in the AFC playoffs.
The Baltimore Ravens were undaunted by the New England Patriots perfect home record as they went into Foxboro Stadium and emerged with a dominating 33-14 victory in the AFC Wild Card playoffs.

Baltimore set the tone on the first play from scrimmage when Ray Rice took a handoff and bounced outside down the Raven sideline for an 83-yard touchdown run.

It was the longest run of the former Rutgers running back's career and second longest postseason run in NFL history.

The Ravens frustrated Tom Brady and the Patriots into four turnovers and built a 24-0 lead in the first quarter.

The win advances Baltimore to an AFC Divisional contest in Indianapolis on Saturday night and shifts the New York Jets out to San Diego for a Sunday afternoon game against the Chargers.

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry has died, one day after suffering serious injuries upon falling out of the back of a pickup truck in what authorities describe as a domestic dispute with his fiancee.

Police say Henry died at 6:36 a.m. Thursday. Henry was 26.

Away from the team because of a broken forearm, Henry was rushed to the hospital Wednesday after being found on a residential road. Police say a dispute began at a home about a half-mile away, and Henry jumped into the bed of the pickup truck as his fiancee was driving away from the residence.