Tony Romo Expects To Play Sunday Night Against Giants

"I’ll be fine," Romo said late yesterday. "I think I just took a hit to the helmet. We’re going to be all right, though. I’ll be good to go next week."

Romo expects to be ready for the Sunday night game against the Giants:

"I feel like the playoffs have already started," Romo said according to the Dallas Morning News. "I feel good about the hand and being able to play next week. We'll have to see how the swelling goes, but I expect it to go down as the week progresses, and I'm looking forward to New York."

According to the Star-Telegram, the swelling in Romo's hand is due to some broken blood vessels in his hand, but not due to broken bones. The trainers are already working on getting the swelling under control, and Jerry Jones also feels good about Romo's chances.

"We have every reason [to think he'll be OK]," Jones said. "Our people have encouraged us, and he has a history of playing with something that the doctors will let him go on. I feel like we dodged a bullet."

The game against the Giants will receive even more scrutiny than usual because the NFL announced late yesterday that the game has been flexed into prime time. Kickoff will be at 8:20 PM ET and the game will be on NBC.

For the past couple of years, the NFL has used a flexible schedule on Sundays in Weeks 10-15 and 17 to ensure "quality matchups" in all NFL Sunday time slots.

In other words, flexing games aims to ensure the highest possible TV ratings. And it's hard to argue the NFL's logic: two of the biggest media markets in the country going at it in a winner-takes-all showdown for the NFC East crown. And it's the only game on the schedule to include a win-and-in scenario if played on Sunday night.

In what could be taken as a good omen, the move also means that FOX will not be broadcasting and Troy Aikman will not be working the game. The Cowboys are 0-3 this season with Aikman in the booth.

The league also announced that the Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns games will move to 4:15 PM ET on CBS and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons game will move to 4:15 PM ET on FOX. Game times for the Chicago Bears-Minnesota Vikings and Carolina Panthers-New Orleans Saints afternoon games on FOX will be announced following results of the Week 16 Sunday and Monday night games.

Here is the week 17 NFL schedule (**denotes game time pending outcome of Sunday and Monday night games):

SUNDAY, JANUARY 1 (WEEK 17)