CHICAGO — Tony Romo’s performance in last Thursday’s 41-28 victory at Chicago was, by the numbers, his best-ever work in a December road game, starring a QB rating of 138.0. Also notable: As suspected, he’s doing it not only while recovering from two traverse fractures in his back but also with “all-over” problems that include broken ribs.
“It’ll be nice when it’s just about the back instead of all the other junk,” Romo smiled.
Romo revealed after the win that moved Dallas to 9-4 that he is taking pain-killing shots not only for his back, but also due to the rib problem.
In a visit with NFL Network, he labeled all of it “things you go through (in) the season.” Romo probably hurt his ribs in a late-September game. The back fractures came in late October against the Redskins. He’s taken pain-killing injections before games ever since, except in the short week leading up to the Thanksgiving Day loss to the Eagles, during which he played poorly.
“It was definitely a difference,” Romo said of playing without the shot and without the rest. “Some of the things that I did last week leading up I would have changed now. But you don’t know until you do it. I didn’t take a (pain-killer) shot, I actually did a couple things different through the week just to try and get … it just didn’t feel as good.”
But Thursday in Chicago felt good. Dallas is now 6-0 on the road and 9-4 overall. The three years of 8-8 treadmilling is over and Romo’s four-year run of never following up a multi-interception game with another one is intact. Romo was precise against the Bears, with passes to running back DeMarco Murray part of the reason, seccompleting 21-of-26 passes for 205 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
“This week was different,” Romo said. “It felt good.”
Well, at least as good as it can feel with a broken back and broken ribs.
