NFL Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys’ Tony Romo Continues Best Play Of Career

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By @KyleOnTheDaily

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made headlines earlier this week when he said quarterback Tony Romo is playing the best football of his career, and after Sunday’s performance against the New York Giants, Jones looks to be more right than ever about his often maligned gunslinger.

Romo finished the day completing 17 out of 23 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns, and easily drove the Cowboys up and down the field at will to give the team their sixth straight victory. What’s even more impressive is that Romo didn’t throw an incomplete pass in the second half of Sunday’s clash –  a completion percentage of 100 percent. In fact, that number was so surprising that it left Giants cornerback Prince Amukumara to say, “No (expletive) way,” in a postgame interview.

Over the past six games, we’ve seen Romo do what he does: instinctively make plays to help the Cowboys win. Although No. 9 has been relied upon less this season thanks to a running game that ranks first in the NFL, he ranks in the top four in passer rating next to Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers.

Romo, who has completed over 70 percent of his passes for 1,783 yards and 14 touchdowns with six interceptions, has been way more effective ever since he started to sit out practice on Wednesday. He’s also shown he’s completely healthy, evidenced by his ability to escape pressure and make plays that many believed he could no longer make after undergoing a second back surgery.

In Week 5, Romo spun out of a J.J. Watt sack, and launched a 43-yard bomb to Terrance Williams in the end zone. Last week in Seattle, Romo escaped pressure from Bruce Irvin with the same spin move and found Williams once again on a third and 20 on what would be the Cowboys’ game-winning drive. Now this week, Romo used that same exact spin to evade pressure to find Williams again in the end zone against the Giants.

We are seeing the “best version” of Romo — he promised people would see over the summer — as a result of two different things. The first, obviously, is that the Cowboys are able to run the ball, and have a Batman-Robin combo in Romo and DeMarco Murray. With Murray becoming the first running back in the NFL to rush for over 100 yards in seven consecutive games, Romo is only counted on to make 2-3 out of this world plays per game instead of the 10-12 he used to. As a result, his overall effectiveness as the Cowboys’ signal caller has improved drastically, as he doesn’t always have to be Batman.

Secondly, the Cowboys have a respectable defense. Although ranking near the middle of the league in terms of statistics, Rod Marinelli‘s unit plays with an unreal amount of energy, and continues to swarm to the ball and make big plays when they need to. This has helped Romo and his performance because he finally trusts his defense to make stops, and no longer throws up high-risk high-reward balls and lets his defense make stops. In his time as the Dallas starter, Romo has had only one defense (2007) rank in the top 10 in the league — now, let that sink in. This 2014 version has been the most effective next to his 2007 unit, and Romo is a savvy veteran now.

The Romo-Coaster is soaring to new heights in 2014. Will it continue to rise, or will it slowly start to fall? My bet is that it’ll continue to rise.

Kyle Nault is a NFL writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow Him on Twitter @KyleOnTheDaily.

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