It was a tough night for the Dallas Cowboys. Quarterback Tony Romo threw five interceptions, and the offense was only able to put 18 points on the board – 10 realistically if you remove the last minute touchdown and two point conversion. A brief recap of the five picks:
- Dez Bryant apparently doesn’t understand a signal from Romo, resulting in miscommunication at the line and a pick-six returned by Bears CB Charles Tillman. Romo clearly has difficulty processing assignments for his receivers.
- Kevin Ogletree can’t catch a direct pass from Romo, and the ball bounces off his hands and into the waiting arms of Bears S Major Wright. Again, Romo’s inability to lead his receiving corps into solid concentration results in a dropped pass and interception.
- Romo is under heavy pressure from DT Henry Melton after Cowboys RG Mackenzy Bernadeau completely whiffs on the block, forcing Romo up in the pocket. Melton pokes the ball loose and it is caught by LB Lance Briggs who returns it for six. Romo’s slow feet off the snap and inability to get his body on Melton leads to the loose ball and interception No. 3.
- Romo doesn’t see CB D.J. Moore draped over Miles Austin, and in an attempt to force the ball, this one is picked off. Blame for this one goes to Jerry Jones… well, because.
- Down 34-10 with 6:28 to play, the Cowboys enter desperation mode. With Chicago running defenses out with five or more defensive backs, and the Cowboys forced to pass, Romo quickly gets picked off for the fifth and final time. Romo’s inability to stop the Bears' offensive attack led to an extreme deficit, forcing the final pass theft.
If we ignore the terrible secondary play (how’s that soft zone between the linebackers and safeties working for you, Jay?), dropped passes, and spotty offensive line play – sure, we can solely blame this loss on Tony Romo. The truth of the matter is that like with all Cowboys losses, Romo earns the scapegoat loss logic as is normal for the starting quarterback of America’s team.
This isn’t to say Romo didn’t have a part in the Cowboy’s loss, but to think his play was the primary reason for the loss is summarily incorrect, and in no part close to what the Cowboys will be reviewing on film over the bye week in preparation for a trip to Baltimore.
Casual, and misinformed, fans have been clamoring for Romo’s removal from the team for the past 5 years when he has rarely been anywhere near the top or middle of the list of Cowboy’s problems. You can’t do a whole lot with a spotty secondary (past years – this year has seen marked improvement) and suspect offensive line.
Luckily, a loss by 16 points means the same as a loss by one point in the standings, and the Cowboys sit tied for second in the NFC East, just one game worse off than the 3-1 division-leading Eagles.
Take a deep breath, Cowboys fans.
Ben Taylor flew down from New York for that travesty. The least you could do is follow him on Twitter at @Benjihana.
