Robert Smith has averaged 4.9 yards a carry in his last seven games.

Nevertheless, Sunday's wild-card game has several intriguing matchups. The Cowboys are getting healthy defensively. Cornerbacks Kevin Smith and Kevin Mathis should be back in the lineup, giving them a much better chance to defend and match up against the Vikings' receivers sets. That's always the matchup problem that teams have with Minnesota.

When they met two months ago in Dallas, Cowboys defensive coordinator Dave Campo employed a variety of coverages against the Vikings receivers. On the game tape, there was no indication that the Cowboys wanted to match up Deion Sanders on Cris Carter or Sanders on Randy Moss or Sanders on Jake Reed. Dallas moved him around with a lot of different looks, in the slot or on the outside. I really think the Cowboys were trying to match up more with the Vikings' formations rather than their personnel. For the most part the Cowboys did a nice job, particularly in the first half.

The first meeting, which resulted in a 27-17 victory for Minnesota, it was really two games within one. Dallas built a 17-0, which could have held until halftime if center Mark Stepnoski hadn't made a bad snap. The snap, which was fumbled and then recovered by Chris Doleman, clearly hurt the Cowboys, who lost the momentum they had gained.

Last week, however, the Cowboys got the balance back in their offense. Troy Aikman had his best game of the year, showing poise, presence, accuracy and timing. They also ran the ball effectively. It was the first time all year I saw that kind of balance from the Dallas offense.

Meanwhile, I don't think Jeff George is playing as well as he played earlier in the season. Although he led the Vikings to eight wins in the final 10 games, he is struggling now and hasn't been as sharp. He made some ill-advised throws against the Lions, tossing a pair of interceptions.

But things are looking up for the Minnesota defense. Looking at their last four games, the Vikings defense appears to be healthier and more effective. They have moved John Randle back to defensive tackle, solidifying their defensive line. They have a very fast, quick front seven, but they aren't physical and don't take blocks on very well. They like to run around blocks. That presents a matchup problem for them against a big, strong Dallas offensive line.

Last week against the Giants, the Cowboys offense did a nice job of mixing up their runs. They use a lot of base, man-on-man blocking, and then effectively swtich to the counter trey. The variation of running plays kept the Giants off balance. I think you will see the same approach against the Vikings, getting the man-on-man blocks to set up the angle blocks on the counter trey.

Here are the keys to Sunday's NFC wild-card game for each team:

Dallas Cowboys
1. Go get George: The Cowboys must pressure George, who does a great job of reading the blitz. Once he reads it, he knows where to throw with the football. To break him down, the Cowboys need to get pressure on him from the down four, or maybe bring a fifth rusher to create the pressure. But they don't want to go with the total blitz against George. He will read it and make the Cowboys pay the price.

2. Ball-control: The Cowboys can run the football, and they will run it. With 140 yards on 13 carries, Emmitt Smith was well on his way to a career game before breaking his hand in the last meeting. The question is, when the Cowboys get in the red zone, will the drives produce touchdowns or field goals? That's where teams have struggled against Minnesota. They move the ball and then get three points. The Cowboys must score touchdowns in the red zone to keep pace with an explosive Viking offense.

3. Zone coverage: The Cowboys need to make George work the ball down the field. They should never take the safety out of center field, unless they play a two-deep zone. Dallas should force the Vikings to methodically work the ball down the field. The Cowboys will susceptible to big plays if they go with too much man coverage or blitzing. The way the Vikings offense is playing, they are not showing patience. Dallas should make them drive 80 yards on 12 plays to beat them.

Minnesota Vikings
1. More Robert Smith: Smith needs to be more involved in the offense. The Vikings are vertical passing team, but they must take advantage of the many voids underneath. They should use Smith almost like the Rams use Marshall Faulk. They throw deep to get the coverage drifting back, and then dump it underneath to Faulk to get him in space. Using Smith more as a receiver will give them a more balanced passing attack. The Vikings should be distributing the ball all over the field, not only vertically. They have become too reliant on the deep ball. While I love the deep passing game, sooner or later the defenses start defending it. Smith could have a terrific game, both receiving and rushing.

2. Take aim at Emmitt: It will be very difficult for the Vikings to stop the Dallas run game, but they will have to slant, stunt, take some gambles, and guess a little bit. Consistently, I don't think the Vikings can win man-on-man battles with the Cowboys offensive line. Defensive coordinator Foge Fazio will need to use a lot of different looks to create penetration and slow Emmitt Smith down before he gets started.

3. Pass protection: Defensive end Greg Ellis had two sacks in the first meeting, but he is out for the season with a broken leg. But Kavika Pittman came in and also had his way a few times with Vikings tackle Todd Steussie, who allowed 2.5 sacks and had two penalties in the game. I don't expect Steussie to play that poorly again, but he and tackle Korey Stringer have critical matchups against Pittman and improving rookie Ebenezer Ekuban and must play better for the Vikings' passing game to be effective.