ARLINGTON, Texas – When Tony Romo took the field Saturday night for the first time since back surgery in late December, he knew many of the onlookers both at AT&T Stadium and nationwide were thinking about his back.

Romo said after the game he was not among them.

Whether or not he truly blocks out the back issues or it's just something he tells the media to offset its barrage of questions, Romo said if he allows the back to bother him in the middle of the game, it only hurts the team.

"When you play, if you're thinking about those things, you're doing your team a disservice," Romo said. "I've got a lot of other things I've got to do to make sure we're running the offense smoothly. That's what needs to be in your brain. If you're not healthy, you shouldn't play."

Romo certainly looked healthy, especially according to his 158.3 quarterback rating, which is the highest possible score. Obviously it was a large sample size as he threw only five passes, completing four for 80 yards and a touchdown.

More than his rating, or the final score that saw the Ravens claim a 37-30 win, Romo said his back felt good both before, during and after the game.

"It felt good. It's just part of going through it," Romo said. "It is continuing to get stronger. When you feel good, you play, and you keep going. You just play and don't think about it. You get hit or you may not, but you don't think about it."

Head coach Jason Garrett has said all week that Romo is starting to resemble itself and apparently it carried over into Saturday's game.

"To me, he looked comfortable. I thought that first third down where had to climb the pocket and deliver the ball to Dez [Bryant], I thought that looked a lot like Tony Romo," Garrett said. "I think he felt comfortable out there. I think he saw things well, moved around, progressed through his different reads. I just thought he handled himself well and he looked good."

Overall, getting back on the field was the best part for Romo, whose herniated disk surgery before the season finale against the Eagles forced him to not only miss the do-or-die game, but kept him limited during the offseason workouts and training camp. [embedded_ad]

"It feels like you're playing football. Anytime you come off surgery, I understand the predictions and the process of going through it, and everyone is going to have one," Romo said. "And that's part of what makes it fun to talk about sports, but you get better and you go play. That's what happens after injuries. Some people get back stronger and better, and some people get back early and have to take time to get stronger. Each guy is different. I feel good so I went out there and played. I think our team did a good job today."