Romo's raw numbers do not do justice to how well he played, though 25-of-36 passing, 506 yards, five touchdowns and a two-point conversion in the fourth highest-scoring game in NFL history -- plus one interception -- tell a pretty convincing tale of excellence. The deeper you delve into Romo's numbers, let alone the game tape, the better his performance looks.
The Cowboys were 4-of-6 on third-down conversions. It's not the 66.7 percent conversion rate that is impressive; it's the fact that the Cowboys executed 54 offensive plays but only wound up in six third-down situations! The Cowboys punted once, and Dez Bryant fumbled once, but the team scored on its other eight possessions before that fateful interception. Romo was never really stopped for 57 minutes and 56 seconds, and the Broncos rarely were in position to stop him.
Of course, the Cowboys needed nine scoring drives to win, not eight. The Danny Trevathan interception was the second play Romo made that conceivably could be called a "mistake" on Sunday; taking a sack on third-and-goal was the other. How many quarterbacks made only two mistakes on Sunday? Well, Peyton Manning only made one, and he got more help from his running game, so there's your problem.
Romo led two fourth-quarter drives to take the lead on Sunday before getting stopped the third time. No one else has been close to getting even one opportunity. If you are the type of person who blames Romo for a loss on Sunday, ask yourself if the best emotional response for a breathtaking 51-48 game filled with lead changes and mesmerizing offensive performances is to seek someone to "blame." You may be missing the parts of football that are fulfilling, exciting and fun.
