FRISCO, Texas - The Tony Romo era in Dallas appears to be over. At least this chapter of him quarterbacking America's Team.
And what a rollercoaster ride it has been for the former undrafted player from Eastern Illinois who was just trying make the team back in 2003. After a few years as the backup, Romo suddenly became the face of the franchise, a place that found him gaining as much scrutiny as praise.
This week's Top 10 focuses on the best Tony Romo moments.
Honorable Mentions:
2006 vs. Colts – In just his fourth game as the starter, Romo went head-to-head with Peyton Manning and the undefeated Colts at Texas Stadium. He not only was nearly flawless, but he also had a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter that put the Cowboys in the lead for good and sent the eventual-Super Bowl champs home with their first defeat.
2014 vs. Colts – With a chance to win the NFC East title, Romo and the Cowboys dominated the Colts from start to finish. Romo completed 18-of-20 passes for four touchdowns with a 151.8 QB rating as the Cowboys waxed Indy, 42-7.
2009 Playoffs - By the 2009 season, the Cowboys had gone a full 13 seasons without winning a playoff game. But it ended against the division rival Eagles, who were beaten by the Cowboys the week before to win the NFC East. In the playoffs, Romo threw 2 touchdowns with no picks as the Cowboys dominated with a 34-14 win.
10. Giant Drive – In the 2015 season opener, Romo bounced back from a slow start to engineer two masterful drives, including the game-winner in the final minute. Without a timeout and Dez Bryant injured, Romo carved up the Giants defense and finished the job with a touchdown to Jason Witten in the final seconds after picking up a low snap from center.
9. Going out in style – Tony Romo played one series in 2016. He threw four passes in Week 17, in what was considered a meaningless game in the standings. But he marched the Cowboys down the field against the Eagles and threw a touchdown completion to Terrance Williams – which may have been his final pass with the Cowboys.
8. National Debut – When the Cowboys decided to hand the reins over to Romo, his first NFL start had quite an audience. Playing in front of a national Sunday Night crowd, Romo introduced himself to the world as the Cowboys pulled away from the Panthers for a 35-14 win. Just like that, the Romo era had begun.
7. Turkeys & Touchdowns – In Romo's first Thanksgiving Day game, he lit up the Buccaneers for five touchdowns in a dominating 38-10 win at old Texas Stadium. Romo's effort gave the Cowboys a three-game winning streak and improved his record to 4-1 in his first five outings.
6. The 4-Yard Run – Romo was known for his ability to throw the football but early in his career, he could make some moves with his feet. Against the Rams, Romo's most memorable run netted just four yards from scrimmage. But an errant shotgun snap from center, coupled with an accidental kick backward pushed the ball back a disastrous 30 yards. Rather than fall on the ball and avoid a turnover, Romo scrambled to get the lost yardage back. He not only picked it up, but scrambled up the field to gain four yards.
5. Close to Perfection – In a game that epitomizes his career, Tony Romo threw for a career-high 506 yards with five touchdowns in a wild shootout against Peyton Manning and the Broncos in 2013. Needing one more drive that likely could've seen him set the NFL's single-game passing record, Romo instead threw a costly interception that led to Denver's 51-48 win. Still, it goes down one of the best games he's ever played, up until his final pass.
4. Christmas Comeback – A loss to the Redskins likely would have ended the Cowboys' playoff chances. On top of that, Romo suffered a back injury midway through the crucial Week 16 game against Washington. But playing in pain all day, he managed to lead the Cowboys on a last-second drive and found DeMarco Murray for a fourth-down touchdown to give the Cowboys a 24-23 win.
However, it proved to be Romo's last pass of the season as he needed surgery on a herniated disc in his back.
3. Romo-ing – Not only did Tony Romo rally the Cowboys back to a dramatic fourth-quarter playoff win over the Lions, but his game-winning-touchdown led to an official celebration. Knocked to his stomach after firing the go-ahead pass to Terrance Williams, Romo responded with two arms out in a Superman-like pose. The reaction would instantly be phrased as "Romo-ing" among Cowboys Nation. The game sent the Cowboys to the divisional round against the Packers.
2. Monday Night Miracle – Statistically, it was one of the worst games of Romo's career. But in a Monday Night game in Buffalo, he proved he could withstand a turnover – or six. Romo threw five interceptions and lost a fumble, but his teammates kept the Cowboys close enough for the young quarterback to take over. He drove the team down to nine points in the final minute, leading to a dramatic field goal by rookie Nick Folk to give Dallas a 25-24 win and improve their 2007 record to 5-0. The 49.9 rating marked Romo's only career win among the eight games in which he finished with a QB rating of less than 50.
1. Down But Not Out – After an early hit to the midsection, Romo didn't realize until later that he was dealing with a punctured lung. The intense pain might have knocked him out for a few plays, but Romo convinced the Cowboys to put him back in the game against the 49ers in 2011. Having trouble breathing and even barking out the signals, Romo rallied the Cowboys from 10 points down in the final two drives to force overtime, where he then connected on a perfect play-fake pass to Jesse Holley, who raced 77 yards to the 1 to set up Dan Bailey's first-ever game-winning field goal.
