COWBOYS WIN EASILY AS EAGLES SEE STARS\DALLAS 30, PHILADELPHIA 11.

Byline: Ed Werder Dallas Morning News

Deion Sanders had a touchdown, an interception and a premonition. His touchdown and interception Sunday came as the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Philadelphia Eagles to reach their fourth consecutive NFC Championship Game.

His premonition was that his former San Francisco 49ers teammates would not be there to compete for the Super Bowl berth. He was right. While Sanders went both ways for Dallas, San Francisco went a different direction.

In the coldest game they have ever played at Texas Stadium, the Cowboys overpowered the Eagles 30-11 before a crowd of 64,371 and provided indications their talent pool might be as deep as team owner Jerry Jones' pockets.

They won on offense with a punishing offensive line, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Deion. Their knockout defense dominated with Leon Lett, Darren Woodson and Deion.

"The team I used to play for lost," Sanders said. "The team I play for is in the NFC Championship Game. I thank God for that."

All that remains between the Cowboys and their third Super Bowl appearance in four seasons are the Green Bay Packers. The Packers and NFL Most Valuable Player Brett Favre, who knocked out the defending Super Bowl champions Saturday, can attempt to take out the team that preceded the 49ers as Super Bowl champions. The Cowboys and Packers collide with a Super Bowl berth at stake next Sunday at Texas Stadium.

What is the difference between a Cowboys team that prevailed in the NFC semifinals and a 49ers team that was upset? Was it that the Cowboys had Sanders or that the 49ers lost him?

Probably both, Sanders said.

"It's playoff time," coach Barry Switzer said. "We had a playoff effort."

In Sunday's 26-degree temperature and two-degree wind chill, Sanders scored his first touchdown since the Cowboys made him the league's highest-paid defensive player.

Sanders' 21-yard touchdown on a second-quarter reverse sparked the Cowboys to 27 consecutive points as they turned a 3-3 tie into a 30-3 blowout. Sanders intercepted Randall Cunningham late in the fourth period, setting up the Cowboys' final touchdown against the team that beat them 20-17 just four weeks ago.

"Big guys have to come up in the big games," Sanders told reporters. "If we don't, you guys are damn sure going to let us know we're overpaid. I know all year I supposedly haven't earned a damn dime. But the big guys have to come out and set the tone in the big games because this is it. You lose this, you're going home."

The touchdown Sanders scored came with him positioned as the slot receiver on the right side on one of his 12 offensive plays. Aikman faked a handoff off the right side to Smith and gave the ball to Sanders sprinting around the left.

When defensive end Mike Mamula closed off his running lane, Sanders reversed and took off around the right side, using Smith's block on linebacker Bill Romanowski and Michael Irvin on cornerback Bobby Taylor for the touchdown.

"I felt we matched up with them pretty well," Eagles defensive end William Fuller said. "But things changed when they put Deion on the field. I couldn't believe I missed him on that tackle. I was going for the kill shot. I should have made the play."

The Eagles made few plays after Rodney Peete left with a concussion on an unsuccessful third-down scramble to the Dallas 5 with the Cowboys leading 3-0. Woodson played off a block and hit Peete in the head.

Philadelphia coach Ray Rhodes reluctantly replaced Peete with former starter Cunningham. The change disrupted whatever offense the conservative Eagles had prepared to unleash against Dallas. Cunningham neglected to take his playbook when he left the team this week and missed practice to be with his wife as she delivered their first child.

A Cowboys defense that has often appeared a weakness had five sacks, produced the interception from Sanders and contained the Philadelphia running game.

During the regular season, Ricky Watters and Garner ranked second in the NFL in rushing yardage behind the Cowboys' Smith and Sherman Williams. On Sunday, Watters and Garner had 18 carries for 52 yards. Smith and Williams had 31 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown.

The Cowboys had success passing and running. Aikman completed 71 percent of his passes for 253 yards and a late touchdown pass to Irvin. Smith had 99 yards rushing and a touchdown. Kevin Williams continued to make plays, leading both teams in receiving with 124 yards and six receptions.

The Cowboys confront a Packers team in the NFC Championship Game that should have deep respect for them. Dallas has six consecutive victories against the Packers, with two of those coming in playoff contests the past two seasons.

The regular-season meeting between them this year underscored the dominance of Cowboys superstars. Playing against the a Green Bay defense ranked first in the NFL, Aikman had more than 300 yards passing, Smith more than 100 yards rushing and Irvin more than 100 receiving in the same game for the first time in their careers. The Cowboys won 34-24.

"We are not lacking for confidence," Aikman said. "This is a football team where half of us know what it takes to play in the Super Bowl."

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(1--color) Cowboys' Darren Woodson's tackle injures Eagles' QB Rodney Peete. Associated Press (2) Two-way talent Deion Sanders of the Dallas Cowboys struts untouched into the end zone after reversing a reverse in the second quarter. Erich Schlegel / Dallas Morning News