Dallas Cowboys Must Prioritize Tony Romo’s Health To Win NFC East

By Brad Berreman @bradberreman24 on October 30, 2014

The Dallas Cowboys became the talk of the league with six straight wins, but a loss to the Washington Redskins last Monday night and a back injury for quarterback Tony Romo during the game has put their season on the ropes in some circles. A key game is coming in Week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals, and Romo’s status is clearly in doubt on a short week and with two surgeries on his back in roughly the past 18 months.

Romo has been diagnosed with a back contusion, and he looks likely to be a game-time decision for Sunday even though the injury is apparently not related to the back issue that ended his 2013 season early. It has been suggested his availability will primarily be an issue of his pain tolerance, but Romo finished a game last season with a herniated disc in his back and clearly has a high pain threshold.

With a trip to London coming in Week 10, the Cowboys can hold Romo out of their next two games while still maintaining a great chance to win the NFC East and remain in the conversation for home field advantage throughout the playoffs. And that’s just what they should do – give Brandon Weeden the starting nod in Week 9 and Week 10 if there is any doubt about Romo’s health.

Weeden replaced Romo after he was injured on Monday night, and went 4-for-6 for 69 yards and a touchdown while leading the Dallas offense to 10 points in two series of action. Weeden is obviously not a long-term answer, and if he has to start more than a few games his flaws would again be exposed, but with the help of a DeMarco Murray-led running game he can be a competent fill-in with plenty of talent around him.

After Sunday’s game against the Cardinals, the Cowboys will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, which looks like a very winnable game no matter who is healthy enough to play. Putting Romo on a long plane flight with a tender back is also not ideal, so it would be best to simply leave him home if he isn’t likely to play anyway.

Win or lose on Sunday against Arizona, the Cowboys should easily beat the Jaguars and enter their Week 11 bye no worse than 7-3. Having Romo at full strength after that point, during an obviously critical stretch of the season, should be the team’s top priority. Rushing him back into action in either of the next two games is simply not worth the risk.

Dallas will play four division games from Week 12-Week 17, including the Philadelphia Eagles twice in a three-week span (Week 13 and Week 15). The Eagles are the Cowboys’ biggest threat in the division right now, with a 5-2 record, but a Week 12 road game against the New York Giants will also be crucial and the Redskins will be looking for a season sweep and to play spoiler in Week 17. Add in a Week 14 trip to Chicago to take on the Bears, in what will surely be less than ideal weather conditions, along  with a home game against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16, and the Cowboys’ have a very difficult schedule to end the season.

Head-to-head wins over the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints will work to Dallas’ advantage when playoff seeds are being decided late in the season, and a win over the Cardinals this coming Sunday is shaping up to be important in that way too. But that does not mean Romo should start the game, or even suit up, even if he can tolerate pain and insists he can play without any limitations.

The way it looks now, Romo will not practice all week heading toward Sunday’s game, and Weeden will certainly benefit from seeing all the first-team reps and presumably being heavily involved in the game plan. Passing game coordinator Scott Linehan has been a key addition to Dallas’ offensive staff this year, and he can surely help put Weeden in a position to succeed for a game or two while Romo gets back to full strength.

Dallas has a very good chance to take control of the NFC East, and make themselves the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, with a strong run in late November and through December. Having Romo at less than 100 percent health over the next two weeks will put that in jeopardy, as one more hit like the one he took on Monday night would increase the likelihood he misses more time than may already be necessary.

The Cowboys’ team doctors should have the most to say about Romo’s availability for Sunday, and the following week as the team takes their trip and prepares to play in London. Keeping owner Jerry Jones as far away as possible from that evaluation process is the best idea, though I don’t really expect that to happen since Jones has to have his hands in every part of the operation he oversees.

Players want to play, and Romo’s toughness is underrated due to the other flaws he has shown in the past, but jeopardizing what could be a special season in Dallas is not worth the short-term risk for all involved.

Brad Berreman is a Columnist at Rant Sports.com. Connect with him on Twitter or Google +.