ARLINGTON, Texas – The Cowboys will play Sunday's game without Tony Romo, who missed all week of practice with a back injury.
Brandon Weeden will make his first start with the Cowboys and first overall since last season with the Browns.
Romo, who suffered a vicious knee to the back last Monday night against the Redskins, has two fractured bones in his lower back. He did participate in Saturday's walk-through but the team has decided not to play him Sunday against the 6-1 Cardinals.
Romo missed last year's season finale against the Eagles with a back injury that led to surgery to repair a herniated disk. The Cowboys have insisted all week this injury is unrelated to the back injury Romo has dealt with all offseason.
Weeden is 5-15 as a starter in the last two seasons with the Browns. Last week against Washington, Weeden entered the game and helped drive the Cowboys to a pair of scoring possessions, including a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jason Witten in the fourth quarter to tie the game.
This week, Weeden took all first-team reps with the offense. Rookie backup Dustin Vaughan will be active for Sunday as well for the first time in his career.
