ARLINGTON, Texas – Tony Romo wasn't on the field at all Sunday in a loss to the Cardinals. But the Cowboys are expecting him on the flight Monday evening to London.
And with that, there's always a chance he can get himself ready to face the Jaguars next Sunday at Wembley Stadium.
Romo tried to avoid reporters after the game, but did nod his head when asked if he would be on the flight. When asked if he planned to play next week, Romo smiled, and then offered a quick response.
"We'll get to London," Romo said. "And we'll get ready to play Jacksonville."
The Cowboys obviously need Romo on the field, even if the Jaguars might not present the same defensive unit as Arizona. With Brandon Weeden making his first start with the Cowboys, he completed just 18-of-33 passes for 183 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The 55.5 passer rating was the lowest by a Cowboys' starter this year, even worse than Romo's 60.8 mark in the season opener against the 49ers.
Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said taking Romo to London should suggest the thought of playing their starting quarterback.
"We certainly wouldn't put him on that plane and take him to London and fly over and fly back if we weren't planning on him playing," Jones said after the game. "He's definitely on the flight. He'll be in one of those chairs you can stretch out in. But yes, he'll definitely be on our flight. If he can, we want him to play."[embeddedad0]
Romo was held out this week with a back injury that he sustained after taking a knee to his back in last Monday's loss to the Redskins. The official diagnosis of the injury is two transverse process fractures in his lower back. Romo missed three days of practice, but did participate somewhat in Saturday's walk-through at Valley Ranch.
Still, the plan was to get Weeden ready to start with Dustin Vaughan as the backup for the first time in his career.
But with Romo expected to make the trip, the Cowboys have a new plan in mind for this week.
