As long as Tony Romo is the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, there will be ugly games like this. Even if he were to play gaffe-free — which, given his record, is unlikely — there is still the possibility of sudden and unexpected collapse. Two minutes into the game yesterday, the Cowboys had four penalties and an interception inside their own 30-yard line.

Eight Buccaneer punts later, Dallas came out with a win. If there ever was a time to thank the football gods for a vastly improved defense, this is it.

Come December, when the Cowboys are playing the Redskins for a shot at the playoffs, all anyone will remember about this game is that the Cowboys came out on top. Come next week, however, with the Bears rolling into town Monday night, there is a lot more to worry about. The Cowboys need to find an offense, and they need to find it fast.

What do you do with Jason Witten?
Here's the unfortunate truth from the past two games: Jason Witten is hurting the Cowboys. Witten's hands have turned into butter, and Romo, remembering a happier time when his future hall-of-fame tight end actually played like a future hall-of-fame tight end, keeps feeding him the ball. At some point, this optimistic foolishness has to stop.

When do you stop feeding Witten the ball? When it starts to hurt your team. When it stalls multiple drives. When the sight of the ball bounching in and out of his hands and to the ground as he approaches the end zone is just too demoralizing to bear.

Jerry Jones isn't concerned and advocates throwing Witten the ball at his usual rate. But when a player off surgery matches his drop totals for the past two years combined in his first three games, you have to admit that something is wrong.

Romo would throw Witten the ball even if Witten's hands were tied behind his back. It's just in Romo's DNA. If the dark day has arrived, it will be up to Jason Garrett to take Witten behind the barn and put the old dog out of his misery. Even if Witten magically returns to his previous form by next Sunday, the Cowboys have just learned a very important lesson: This offense looks weak when Witten isn't a factor.

Garrett — Jason and John, the tight ends coach — needs to analyze the situation in practice this week. If it appears that nothing has changed, then John Phillips and James Hanna need to start getting some looks. Have sadder words ever been writen?

2.1 yards per rush, 1.6 penalty yards per play and the Cowboys still win
If the Cowboys looked bad — and they did — the Buccaneers looked even worse. Consider these stats: DeMarco Murray averaged 2.1 yards per carry; the Cowboys got 105 total penalty yards (which comes to 1.6 yards per offensive snap); Romo is sack-stripped twice (and throws an ugly pick to boot); and the two starting safeties are out with injury.

Who wins the game? The Cowboys — and easily. These are the perks of having a solid defense. Without great play from Brandon Carr, two sack-strips from DeMarcus Ware and a beautifully caught interception by Sean Lee, this game would have turned unwatchable quickly. Dallas fans also need to thank the replacement refs for mistakenly calling Romo down on his second fumble of the day, as it should have been returned for a touchdown.

These are serious issues, especially with Chicago and Baltimore up next on the schedule. No runner — especially not a second-year back like Murray — could have run behind that line yesterday. Romo was sacked four times, including one that appeared life-threatening. No amount of skill will make up for getting creamed two seconds into a play. If the O-line can't handle the heat, then Garrett needs to look at pitches and screens to take the pressure off the middle and change up the tempo.

The penalties, on the other hand, are inexcusable. Four penalties in the first two minutes? Four false starts and a holding call on your $32 million right tackle? With seven minutes to go in the second quarter, the Cowboys had 62 yards of offense and 55 penalty yards. By game's end, for every three steps they had moved the ball forward, they had taken more than one step back with penalties. Most teams get clobbered with that kind of stat line. The Cowboys — miraculously — managed to hold on.

If Garrett has any carnal rage hidden underneath his icy exterior, now is the time to release the beast. The Cowboys tested fate once and came away unscathed, but not every team is the Buccaneers.

The Cowboys offense needs a spark, and his name is Dez Bryant
After two games with a truly pathetic offensive showing, the Cowboys have to shake things up. Witten is AWOL, the O-line is inept and Romo is quickly reverting back to 2006 form. If the Cowboys have an ace in the hole, now is the time to play it.

Here's the new reality for the Cowboys: Dez Bryant needs to get the ball. Specifically, Bryant needs to get the ball over his shoulder and down field 50 yards as he sprints toward the end zone.

Garrett wants to turn Bryant into a well-balanced passer, and since his first year in the league, Bryant had improved dramatically at slants and crosses. Although his game last night was respectable, the Cowboys aren't going to regain their offensive mojo with Bryant getting 62 yards on six completions. He needs to be getting 162 yards on four completions. He is a high-risk/high-reward player by nature, and Garrett is sitting at the blackjack table placing 50-cent bets on red all night.

Three games into the season, and Bryant has yet to be thrown a bomb. Why? When the Cowboys were losing to the Seahawks in the fourth quarter, why not then? How about when one key play could have nailed the coffin shut on Tampa Bay in the third quarter? Bryant eventually did hammer the nail with his 44-yard punt return, so why not give him the opportunity to make that kind of play from the line or scrimmage?

Bryant is a wild animal that Garrett is trying to domesticate, but it's time to set no. 88 free.

Throwing the ball deep to Bryant will push opposing safeties back and keep opposing corners 10 yards off the line. It will free the center of the field for drive-marching possessions and up-the-gut runs. Most important, it will lead to 70-yard touchdown drives in mere seconds, and it will bring out the play-maker in Dez Bryant.