The Dallas Cowboys are getting starting quarterback Tony Romo back from injury after seven consecutive losses. While everyone seems to think their season is over, at least when speaking to the media there seems to be belief and optimism it’s not impossible to make the playoffs.
Romo hasn’t played in two months, in which the Cowboys have lost five of seven games by seven points or less, dropped a lead against the Atlanta Falcons (lost by 11) and got blown out by the New England Patriots. In three of their losses, they failed to score a touchdown. Brandon Weeden tried and failed, eventually getting released. Matt Cassel struggled as well in getting the ball downfield and making the offense look even semi-competent.
I think anytime you’re losing in the National Football League, it’s tough on everybody. Sometimes when you’re not able to help your team as far as physically being out on the field, but the guys left it out on the field. I’m really inspired by the way they just committed every week. And obviously the results weren’t exactly the way they wanted or anything, but I think when you watch how they play, I think it gives us a great opportunity to still go out and accomplish the goals. You just have very little room for error.
Romo has had injuries shake him up and take him out for a while before, but according to him, the problem isn’t his healed collarbone, but the fear of being too rusty when he takes the field against the Miami Dolphins. His back is better than it has been since his 2013 surgeries, and working with the scout team and watching the game from a different perspective may have helped him. Regarding the getting hit part? He won’t know until he gets hit.
The Cowboys are now talking about taking it one game at a time, which is the classic talk from anyone around the league, instead of thinking about how they put a string of wins together to catch up with their division or the wild card race. A 9-7 end to the season? Winning seven in a row all of a sudden does sound far fetched. But can they win the division? Perhaps. The Panthers bounced back from a 3-8-1 start to win the last four games and make the playoffs last season. Maybe the Cowboys plan to top that in 2015.