Cowboys Now in Jeopardy
Tony Romo sidelined for rest of season due to back injury
It appears that the Cowboys' playoff hopes will fall on the shoulders of backup quarterback Kyle Orton after starter Tony Romo was ruled out for the rest of the season due to a back injury.
Romo was injured during Sunday's last minute 24-23 win on the road against Washington that kept the Cowboys' post-season chances alive heading into a week 17 showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles. According to ESPN, he was injured on a hit in the first half but stayed in the game.
He finished 17 for 27 with 226 yards, including a game-tying touchdown pass to running back DeMarco Murray with a little more than a minute left in regulation.
He was ruled out for the Philadelphia game following an MRI, though it is unknown if he would be available for the playoffs. If they beat the Eagles, the Cowboys will win the NFC East division and make the playoffs for the first time in four years. If they lose, it would be the third year in a row that they finish 8-8.
Romo had been having another solid season, completing 64 percent of his passes for 3,828 yards, with 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Orton is an eight-year veteran who has backed up Romo the past two seasons. His lone performance this year was a three for five for 40 yards garbage-time performance in a blowout loss to the Chicago Bears on December 9.