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Over the next several weeks before training camp, let's relive some of Tony Romo's best comeback stories. This one featured Romo and the Cowboys outrunning the Commanders and wearing them down.
[In the ten seasons that Tony Romo has been the starting quarterback, he's engineered some great fourth-quarter heroics to bring the Cowboys to victories. Since 2006, no quarterback has had more fourth-quarter comeback victories, 25 to be exact, than Tony Romo. His passer rating in the final quarter of football is an astounding 102.9, five points higher than the number two guy (Aaron Rodgers). Romo also holds the mantle of most game-winning drives among active quarterbacks (29) as well as passer rating in the final two minutes (93.1).
Over the next several weeks before the team heads out to Oxnard and starts it all up again, I thought we could take some time to look back at Mr. Clutch Quarterback himself. We're going to rank all of his comeback tales from good to great, from awesome to completely amazing. Here's looking at you, Mr. Romo.]
18. Romo Makes Up For Early Game Blunders (Nov. 16, 2008)
For the third time this series but certainly not the last, we revisit the rivalry with the Commanders-Cowboys. It's always great to have some competitive divisional fights and this one seems to have lots of low scoring affairs. On this day, Mr. November and the Cowboys got off to a rocky start.
On the first drive, the Cowboys go three and out after Marion Barber fumbles but recovers the ball. Pat Watkins is called for a facemask on the punt so the Commanders start with an extra 15-yards at the Dallas 49. The first Commanders possession starts out well with a few completions from Jason Campbell and Clinton Portis working the ground game. On 4th and 1 from the Dallas 11, Portis off the left side picks up nine yards and Campbell finds Mike Sellers on the next play for the score. Commanders up 7-0.
The Cowboys are back at it and Romo starts to look sharp as he slices up the secondary with passes to Terrell Owens, Miles Austin, and Marion Barber. However, on 3rd and 3 from the Washington 27, a pass to Owens is picked off by DeAngelo Hall (he's getting old) and the drive is over. The Cowboys and Commanders can't make much of the next two drives each team has and we're under 5:00 in the half.
Determined to tie this one before the half, Romo comes out with a vengeance finding Barber for 7 yards then back-to-back plays of 25+ yard passes to Owens and Jason Witten to get them to the 2-yard line. Barber punches this one in with 1:06 left in the half and we're tied at seven points apiece.
Nick Folk's kick is returned 58 yards by Rock Cartwright and Shaun Suisham gives the Commanders a three-point lead before the half.
The Commanders put together a very nice drive after the break but Campbell throws an interception to Terence Newman on 3rd and 2 from the Dallas 35. The Cowboys next two drives are stalled by penalties along the offensive line. The Commanders ensuing drive makes it to the Dallas 20, where Campbell is sacked by Jay Ratliff and Suisham misses a field goal attempt from 46 yards out.
At the beginning of the 4th quarter, the Cowboys are driving the ball downfield as Barber catches a 7-yarder and follows that up with a few runs totaling 27 yards. On 3rd and 7, Romo gets eight with a pass to Austin. The very next play Romo connects with Martellus Bennett for 25-yards and the touchdown. Cowboys take the lead 14-10.
The Commanders' efforts go for nothing as Jason Campbell's play turns erratic and he's missing on pass after pass. With 6:40 left, the Cowboys behind Romo and Barber wear the Commanders down on a drive that lasts 13 plays and forces the Commanders to use all their timeouts. Romo kneels the ball on the final play at the Washington 15 and this one is over.
More impressive to me than scoring that touchdown was the fact that Romo took the ball with almost seven minutes left and never let the ball get back to Washington. They never had a chance with only one short drive in the fourth quarter. Romo not only preserved the lead but used Barber and Austin to pick up first downs to keep the Commanders with no opportunities. The game was decided on that touchdown to Bennett with 11 minutes left in the game.
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