Cowboys Beat Eagles But Lose Romo
PHILADELPHIA – Tony Romo insists his season isn’t over after exiting Sunday’s victory for the Dallas Cowboys with a fractured left clavicle.
The Philadelphia Eagles and quarterback Sam Bradford are still trying to prove they’re not broken.
Romo, injured on a quarterback sack and fumble in the third quarter, was replaced by Brandon Weeden, who will be the Cowboys quarterback for at least the next 8-10 weeks following a 20-10 victory over the Eagles.
“I’ll be back,” Romo said with his left arm in a sling. “But it’s going to take a little bit of time.”
Seven days ago, the Cowboys lost All-Pro wide receiver Dez Bryant for up to eight weeks with a broken right foot.
Romo had a collarbone injury and missed the final 10 games of the 2010 season. He said he knew immediately it was broken again.
“I felt it, and it had a bit of a ‘pop’ to it,” he said. “Obviously, I felt it before. Stuff happens – it’s the NFL. And the NFL is really about adversity and how you handle it.”
The victory gives Dallas a two-game lead over the Eagles (0-2) in NFC East. The Cowboys held Eagles running back DeMarco Murray, who led the NFL in rushing last season for Dallas, to just two yards on 13 carries. And the Cowboys won despite being flagged for a team-record 18 penalties for 142 yards.
“This was a great team win because of what we had to overcome and because of the team we were playing,” linebacker Sean Lee said after his 13-tackle game that included an interception in the endzone. “DeMarco’s a great back, but we never gave him a chance to get started and that was the key. Once we had (the Eagles running game) under control we felt good about our chances.”
Said Eagles coach Chip Kelly: “If we can’t run the football we’re not going to win many games.”
Kelly said the Eagles will re-evaluate “everything,” including quarterback Sam Bradford.
Kicker Dan Bailey staked the Cowboys to a 6-0 lead with a pair of short field goals before halftime.
The Eagles’ offense sputtered to start the second half and once again they had to punt, for the sixth time in the game. This time, the Cowboys’ Danny McCrary blocked it and teammate Kyle Wilber scooped up the loose ball and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown to give Dallas a 13-0 lead.
“That was a big play because of the momentum it gave us,” Cowboys safety Barry Church said. “Anytime you come up with a big play on special teams it gives you a boost, and to score a touchdown on it gives you a big boost.”
The Eagles blew a great chance to get back into the game late in the quarter. They drove down to the Dallas 3-yard line, helped along by a couple more Cowboys penalties, but Lee intercepted Bradford’s pass in the end zone. Then Dallas put it out of reach late in the fourth quarter when Weeden connected with Terrance Williams on a 42-yard touchdown pass to make it 20-3 with 4:13 left to play.
“We never got it going on offense and there’s no excuse for that, with all the talent we have on this side of the ball,” Eagles tackle Lane Johnson said. “This is two straight games where we’ve struggled on offense and that has to change if we’re going to accomplish our goals this season.”
