If you missed Sunday’s Thanksgiving battle between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, here’s a summary, from the view of Tony Romo:
It wasn’t that Romo played poorly against the Eagles — even though he did — it was that the Eagles never gave Romo an opportunity to do anything with his offense. The QB was sacked four times on Sunday, picked off twice, knocked down more than a boxing palooka and was hurried on almost every play.
In his seven previous Thanksgiving games, Romo was 6-1 with 18 touchdowns, six interceptions, and a QB quarterback rating of 107.3. On Thursday, he threw for 199 yards, two interceptions and had a rating under 55. He would have thrown for his lowest yardage in a Thanksgiving game if not for garbage time. His streak of 38-straight games with a touchdown pass snapped.
So what was it? Are the Cowboys gassed? Did DeMarco Murray run too often, too soon? Were those big wins mirages? Beating the Saints seemed impressive at the time but has lost its luster since. No one’s having parades for beating New York and Washington. And the Seattle win was excellent, but the Chargers, Rams and Chiefs have done the same.
(AP)
It’s a 16-game season with ebbs and flows. But there is one true problem with the Cowboys: Tony Romo isn’t throwing well under pressure. The Eagles attacked him all day, barely giving him time to throw. It’s been the same strategy that’s felled Dallas and Romo al. year.
In the Cowboys’ four losses, Romo has been sacked an average of 3.5 times. In the team’s seven wins, it’s less than half of that — 1.7 per game. It’s pretty simple:
This loss isn’t a referendum on Romo, the same way a bad game against the Chiefs didn’t mean Tom Brady had lost it or that Peyton Manning’s poor performance against the Rams means the Broncos are done.
(AP)
Here’s what it does mean: The book is out on Romo and the Cowboys. While DeMarco Murray was starting 2014 on a record rushing pace, defenses focused on stopping the Dallas running attack. But then, when Jim Haslett of all people decided to let Murray get his yards against the Washington Redskins, he attacked Romo quickly and constantly, the strategy changed.
Get to Romo, get at the Cowboys. Protect Romo and there’s still room for a special season in Dallas.
(USA TODAY Sports Images)
