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IRVING, Texas - Winning on the road in Philadelphia in the last game of the regular season certainly won't be an easy challenge.
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is well aware of that.
However, knowing that a win Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field will put them in the playoffs - a scenario that seemed rather unlikely after Dallas lost to Baltimore Saturday night - has given the Cowboys new life.
Romo talked to reporters Tuesday, saying that not only is he feeling better physically, but emotionally, this team understands the importance and the significance of Sunday's season finale against the Eagles.
Do you feel fortunate to be back in the playoff hunt?
Romo: Yeah, it feels good. We're in the playoffs now and were going to approach this game like that. We're going to give everything we've got this week and we'll be ready to go this weekend.
Are you battling back issues though?
Romo: Well, you feel everything, I don't know. You love to play at 100 percent and go out there and do what you can do. It's December - everybody plays with different things. It's part of the game.
Do you feel like you got some offensive problems solved there late in the Ravens game?
Romo: They gave us some trouble with different things we hadn't been ready for in some areas and they did a good job. But we went back and made some adjustments and got some good things going.
Although you wish you were already in the playoffs, are you excited that this is where this team needs to be?
Romo: I definitely agree with it. Obviously, the expectations are different around different teams maybe at the beginning of the year, but I know that this team has been left for dead more than a few times this season at different moments and we feel very strongly in our capability if we can get a win to continue to get a few of them. We'll see.
Why do you think the offense has struggled?
Romo: Giving us the last-ranked defense in the league will help. The best defenses in the league, they are the best defenses for a reason. They provide you good talent, they provide you with a great scheme and the combination of the two makes it difficult on anybody. And defenses are a lot more advanced. I think every year that goes on they come up with new little things that just attack. That's why you try to run the football, as advanced as you get in that stuff, if you can run the ball usually it can get you out of that junk a little bit. So we'll try to run the ball this week and get after Philly a little bit.
How difficult will it be to win in Philadelphia this week?
Romo: Every bit as difficult as it would have been in a Week 1 game. It's always hard to go on the road to win, No. 1. It's even more difficult, obviously, with the division opponent. More difficult because it's going to be December. It's going to be more difficult because they're good. All those things considered, it obviously makes for a difficult trip, but if we're the football team that we hope we are, we'll prove it this weekend.
Will it be a lost season if you don't get into the playoffs?
Romo: Well, I have a hard time saying a lost season. A lot of guys put a lot of effort and time into something. I think that you're trying to accomplish a goal. I've said this to you guys before, but if I'm lucky enough to play 10 years in this league and we win one or two Super Bowls, I'd say that's a pretty good career. I've still got about eight of them to try, and hopefully this year we've still got a chance to do it this year. That's where we're at. We're not looking ahead; we're not looking behind; we're not looking at anything. Right now, we have as good a chance as the Tennessee Titans to go win this thing. I think that's a really positive note that we all can take around here. Obviously, with injuries creeping up and different things that have popped up this season, stuff you've had to overcome as far as missing certain personnel, I think that when you still go out there and continue to grind it out and give yourself a chance at the end of the year, anything can happen.
Do you look at this with tunnel vision, knowing that it's the playoffs if you win, and probably wholesale changes if you lose?
Romo: No question. There's going to be wholesale changes every year whetherÂ…. Look at the Giants, they had a lot of changes and they won the Super Bowl last year. The difficult thing is getting in the playoffs year after year. It's not easy. Somebody told me today if we are able to get in, the only two NFC teams back in the playoffs are us and the Giants this year. That just goes to show you're not guaranteed anything. A lot of teams have talent, a lot of good players. It is what it is. I think that if we go out and win this game this week, it solves a lot of stuff. If we can win a few in a row, it goes a long way.
How much do you relish these moments?
Romo: It's fun. It's enjoyable. The competitive guy inside of you really enjoys playing in these situations when you know you have to win; you've got to go do it on the road against a tough opponent in a difficult environment. I suspect our team will be ready to go.
Has it been tough on the wide receivers the last few weeks?
Romo: Oh, you'll have to ask them that stuff. I'm not sure.
Do you feel more comfortable with Roy now?
Romo: Yeah, we're getting more comfortable every week. He does some things a little different than the other receivers. He does some things really well, so we're trying to get a bead of it.
Do you treat those long interceptions like you had in Baltimore almost like punts?
Romo: Don't get me wrong. They are never a good thing. I'm not trying to make it sound better. An interception is a bad deal, no matter what time it is or frame or whatever. I think sometimes, against a team like Baltimore, you get into a mode, or you just kind of do stuff off the cuff a little bit. That's what they do well. There're probably 20 different throws where you are just kind of off the cuff in that game, which is a really, really high number for a game. Obviously, I made two poor choices on those. I have to fix it. I have to go back and decide why I did that, and make sure the next time I get in that situation, I don't. It's part of the game. It's part of the learning process. And I will get better, I promise you that.
Why would you say this team has so many problems in December?
Romo: We just haven't won as much. I think for all the talk about us, does anybody else have a reason why? It's part of it, I guess. There are always little things you can pick out. Good teams you play against maybe? There's no reason. Whatever reason, we haven't won. This year I think it's pretty easy to indicate that we played against pretty good opponents. Years past, I'm not sure.
Excited about the opportunity to reverse that trend?
Romo: Yeah, if we go on to win this game, and are able to beat the Giants and Philly in December, that's a pretty big step as far as getting in the playoffs in that regard. Like I said, we are treating this game like it is a playoff game. It is for us. All we can do is control how we prepare this week and what kind of team steps out on that field this Sunday. I have a funny feeling we are going to play good football this weekend.
Are you more mindful of protecting the ball in this game?
Romo: Probably a little bit, yeah. I think you have to be in situations.
After you lost to the Ravens, did you fear the playoffs were out of reach?
Romo: You always want to win. It's very disappointing and frustrating and hard to sleep and all those things. But there were too many teams that needed to win two games for us to be out. I felt like we probably had a chance in that regard. But you never know. The thing that you never want to have happen is to let it get out of your control, so we've kind of been given a second chance. Hopefully, we'll be able to take advantage of it.
What would your Christmas gift to the fans be?
Romo: To win. Winning cures all.
How tough has it been here lately playing against these great defenses?
Romo: (Pittsburgh and Baltimore) are some of the more exotic teams you're going to play against and they're all completely different exotics. New York and Philly are similar a little bit in their exotic schemes. We hadn't seen the Baltimore stuff ever since I've been here. Pittsburgh was a little bit on their own, too, with a lot of their stuff. Now, if we were to play those teams three weeks from now, I think it would be different. But we only see them once a year - once every five years. It makes for a difficult 60 minutes sometimes.
Can the Cowboys be this year's version of the Giants?
Romo: Here's an easy analogy: Joe Montana wasn't Joe Montana before he won a Super Bowl. Everybody probably questioned them at that time, `Do they have the quarterback to go win a Super Bowl?' I mean, the Giants, their coach was fired at this point last year, maybe. Eli wasn't a great leader, I heard. It is what it is until you win. So this team, we don't have anything that you need to win the Super Bowl - until you win. Then you have everything. The only thing that can solve that is to go off and win. To win this week and to get in this thing and go do it. It's a cliché thing, but it just comes down to doing it. Just win the game and that will answer all these questions.
Do you think how you guys play versus Philly this week will show you if you have what it takes?
Romo: Oh, yeah. Whenever you're put in a position like that, it will tell you whether people need to continue to improve and whether some guys have figured things out or not."
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