Tony Romo led the Dallas Cowboys to a quick start and then held on for the victory, as they defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-15. Romo threw 3 TDs and ran for a fourth in the first half, as the Cowboys jumped out to a quick 28-0 halftime lead.
“It was nice to go out there and play the way we did,” Romo said. “Offensively we did a really good job but boy our defense played outstanding ball.”
Romo finished the night completing 23 of 30 passes for 249 yards and 3 TDs, plus he added that fourth TD on the ground, rounding out a nearly perfect night. He ended up with a passer rating of 133.9 for the evening.
“I was just throwing the ball, finding the guys open and the guys did the rest,” he said. Romo spread the ball around effectively, with six different receivers catching at least 3 passes. Tight end Jason Witten led the way with 77 yards on just 4 receptions, and wide receivers Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Laurent Robinson each caught a TD pass.
Romo was complimented by a strong running game, despite rookie DeMarco Murray being lost for the remainder of the season with a fractured right ankle. Felix Jones got the call, and responded with 22 carries for 108 yards and Sammy Morris added another 53 yards on the ground.
“[Jones] did a great job,” Romo said. “We are lucky to have some depth at the tailback position.”
The Buccaneers were never able to get anything going as they managed only 58 yards on the ground and 190 yards of total offense. Josh Freeman was 17 of 27 for 148 yards and a TD, and was also the Bucs leading rusher with 37 yards of four carries. LaGarrette Blount had a dismal night, averaging just 2.3 yards per carry as he managed just 21 yards on 9 carries. Tampa Bay wasn’t able to sustain drives, as the Cowboys controlled the clock for 38 minutes in the game.
With the win, the Cowboys look on track for a showdown with the Giants on January 1 to determine the winner of the NFC East. The two were tied coming into this weekend, and the Giants won their first meeting last weekend 37-34 in a shootout, so it could very well be winner-take-all in the last weekend of the season. On the upcoming Giants game, Romo said, “It is going to be a good, tough battle… But we are going to be ready for it.”
