Cowboys News & Notes: Tony Romo Helps Cowboys End Losing Streak

The only starting quarterbacks to win every one of their starts this year are Tom Brady, Cam Newton, Matt Hasselbeck, and....Tony Romo. The canon will go off for one of these QBs on Thursday, but for now - let's just enjoy the fact that the 2015 Tony Romo-led Cowboys are still unbeaten.

The Losing Streak Is Over! Cowboys Defeat Miami 24-14, Stay (Barely) Alive In Division Race - Tom Ryle, BTB
Good news, everyone - the Cowboys won a football game! Tom Ryle has been waiting a long time to bring you some good news, so enjoy it!

Short Week Awaits Romo After He Weathers Rain In Successful Return - Rob Phillips, The Mothership
Was it just me or did it seem like it was dry on the Dolphins first possession, then started a torrential downpour when Romo first came on the field, only to clear right up again when the Dolphins got the ball back? Tony wasn't too happy about it either.

"I walked out to warmups (Sunday and) I said, ‘Well, let’s see – we’ve got gusting winds, we’ve got rain, you’ve got a good (Dolphins) defensive line, maybe as good as we’re going to go up against, and they come out with some great coverage stuff we hadn’t seen. "The funny thing was, you go through it all and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. That’s why it’s the NFL. That’s why it’s football. You almost take it as a challenge and it almost makes it more enjoyable, if that makes sense."

Video: Cowboys DL Crawford On the Plane after the Win - PROcast, FOX Sports
There are some good spirits for a team that just now managed to get its third win of the season.

One team. #CowboysNation pic.twitter.com/kRJ9mvuSrF

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 23, 2015

Tony Romo stars; Greg Hardy, Tyron Smith disappointing in Cowboys' win - Bob Sturm, SportsDay
Bob Sturm discusses why the return of Tony Romo goes far beyond just throwing the football.

What did you think of Tony Romo's return?

About as much as everyone expected. He's so much more than a guy who throws passes. He is an offensive coordinator on the field. He ensures that they get in the right play, see the blitz pickup and do exactly what they need to do at the right time. These guys who played backup quarterback (Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel) were too consumed with the QB situation. It left them no mental space to coordinate the offense. They can't worry about 11 players; they have to worry about the QB. Romo has QB down so well that he can look at all 11 positions and see what works against the coverage. That's what a veteran quarterback does. Overall, he brought a real intelligence for this game. He made a few unintelligent decisions early, which I imagine was trying to do too much. As the game went on, he grew into what he does well, coordinating the team to get into a position to win. His presence means everything in this offense.

Instant Review: Staff Writers Give Quick Analysis Of Cowboys-Dolphins - Staff, The Mothership
The Cowboys staff writers give their initial impressions of the game, including throwing a little props the defenses way.

Nick Eatman: After a couple of misses with Gut Feeling here lately, I must say I got one today. Off by just a point with my predicted score, I had the Cowboys winning 23-14 with McFadden rushing for 125 and he ended up with 129. Yeah, I was off with Witten getting eight catches - just two - but overall I thought Romo would make everyone around him better and he did that and more. With all of this Romo talk, let's not forget the performance of the defense. Not only did that unit get on the scoreboard, but kept the Dolphins off the field for most of the game. The pressure was strong from start to finish. Overall, it was a great team win and a much-needed one at that.

'Inspirational' Tony Romo changed everything in fourth quarter - Brandon George, DMN
"You're the meaning in my life, you're the inspiration." How much you wanna bet Jerry was humming this song once he saw Tony back on the field? Okay, maybe not, but any guesses on who he thinks was the reason the Cowboys got back in the win column?

Owner Jerry Jones was asked what made the difference in the fourth quarter this time around for the Cowboys. "It was Tony," Jones said without hesitating. "He was inspirational. He opened up the playbook for us. We needed Tony and the threat of Tony back there to get that running game going and it did."

5 thoughts: Tony Romo shows he can save Cowboys' season - Jon Machota, SportsDay
Jon Machota gives us his five thoughts on the Cowboys victory, and at least on of them isn't about Tony Romo.

Jerry Jones said before the game that Darren McFadden "woke up red eye, ready to roll today. And there's no equivocation. He's ready to go." And he was. Despite being held back all week to nurse a strained groin, McFadden continued to be the team's workhorse, carrying 29 times for 129 yards and helping to run out the fourth-quarter clock.

McFadden’s Finish, Romo’s Management Among Thoughts - Bryan Broaddus, The Mothership
It was nice to see the Cowboys running back step in and get the dirty yards. Broaddus gives his 12 thoughts, including how well the Cowboys veteran RB finished the game.

It took a little time, but give Darren McFadden credit for the way that he finished the game. I didn't feel like that his start was all that great and he might have been tentative, but injured groin and all he was exactly what this team needed in that five-minute drive to seal the game. When he had to hit the hole and make the tough yards to gain first downs and work clock, he was up to the task.

Work-horse back Darren McFadden closes game for the Cowboys - Clarence Hill, The Star-Telegram
Darren McFadden had a good game and even though he was nursing a groin injury, he played the part of the dirty-yard runner extremely well.

"I just think that we want to come there and run the ball," McFadden said. "That’s what we want to do. We feel like we are a very physical offense. We know we have a very physical offensive line. Those guys did their job today and went out there and blew guys off the ball. It was just a great feeling, man. Like I say, that offensive line, those guys do amazing things up front. I just get behind them, just push forward."

Notes: Witten Passes Lilly, Terrance's Lesson, Byron's Update; More - David Helman, The Mothership
For as much abuse as Jason Witten takes, it's really remarkable that he's been able to reach this milestone. Just by suiting up and playing on Sunday, the Cowboys’ All-Pro tight end passed Lilly for the franchise record of most consecutive games played. During a 14-year span from 1961-1974, Lilly – or "Mr. Cowboy" – appeared in 196 games.

Witten wasn't the only Cowboys player breaking records on Sunday.

Dallas Cowboys: Dez Bryant still not 100 percent, but he and Tony Romo break Cowboys record | SportsDay
Whether you are part of Team Romo or Team Bryant, you have to admit - they combo sure is a nice one. In fact, they're one for the record books.

It was the 50th time the two have connected for a touchdown, setting a new franchise record, surpassing Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin.

Aikman and Irvin? Who are those guys really? Wake me up when they get to Quincy Carter and Rocket Ismail.

Dallas Cowboys: See Rolando McClain's perfect read to return interception for touchdown | SportsDay
Rolando McClain has stacked two good games on top of each other and had the team's first defensive touchdown of the year.

Don’t Forget About These 5: Costly Chop Blocks, Timely Draw Play & More - Nick Eatman, The Mothership
Nick Eatman highlights these five crucial plays that shouldn't go unnoticed.

Dolphins hold up Williams – Deep into the second quarter, the Cowboys nearly saw a drive stall when Romo was sacked inside the 15-yard line. But a holding penalty on Dolphins cornerback Jamar Taylor, trying to guard Terrance Williams, gave the offense a first down. With runs by Robert Turbin, and clutch catches by Devin Street and Williams, it gave the Cowboys a shot on third-and-10 from the Miami 31 to throw deep. Romo hit Williams in the end zone for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead.

Week after analyst calls for his firing, Jason Garrett ties Jimmy Johnson for second-most Cowboys wins - David Moore, SportsDay
While this feat was expected to occur a little earlier in the year, it still counts.

"I give Jason a ton of credit,'' executive vice president Stephen Jones said. "Nobody likes to point fingers when things go bad, but I challenge anyone to say this team hasn't played hard every step of the way. I know we lost seven games, but I challenge anybody to go put the tape on and see where guys aren't playing their ass off.

Cowboys Win Over Dolphins Makes This Thursday's Game Very Interesting - Dave Halprin, BTB
It's only one win, but it's hard to not feel like this team can go out and win another one regardless of who they're facing. It's easy to be skeptical, but as Dave Halprin points out - a win on Thursday sure could make things interesting.

If Tony Romo can resurrect these Cowboys to the point where they can beat the Panthers. then the playoffs become something a little more attainable. Not only would Dallas get an important win, but the confidence the team would get by beating the Panthers can not be overstated. Dallas is feeling more like itself now that Romo is back, if they could win on Thursday, they might believe anything is possible - for real believe it. Not just sort of believe it. And that can mean everything for a sports team.