A meeting between Nick Foles and Tony Romo is "unlikely" due to Romo's back injury. Cowboys personell are still suggesting Romo could play on Sunday. (Photo Courtesy of ESPN.com)
It appeared the Philadelphia Eagles were getting an early Christmas present in the wake of Week 17’s matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported yesterday that Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo would miss the regular-season finale, and therefore the rest of the season, due to a back injury. The Cowboys vehemently denied the report that Romo was officially out Sunday.
“He was able to play through it and play very well at the end of that ball game," Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said. "We evaluated it last night after the game and again this morning. He's getting treatment and the MRI was part of the evaluation. There's going to be a series of different things we do for his treatment over the next few days and see how he responds to it."
"All I'm saying is he has back spasms, symptoms that we're treating as we go along in the week to see if he will play," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "There is nothing structurally that will rule him out if he feels good and is cleared to play. Nothing.
"The facts are there is a lot of we can't comment on. But the most important thing is if he feels better as the week goes along, there is nothing structurally to prevent him from playing. He might be cleared to play."
So, we wait.
The Eagles have to practice like they will be facing Romo, which honestly only helps at this point.
If Romo can’t play, his likely replacement is Kyle Orton – though Schefter also reported that the Cowboys would work out free-agent quarterback on Tuesday. Orton doesn’t have the arm strength that Romo does and hasn’t started since Jan. 1, 2012.
This allows the Eagles defense to change the gameplan slightly. They still have to cover Jason Witten, Dez Bryant and Miles Austin. It seems that if Romo can’t play, the Cowboys gameplan would be to utilize DeMarco Murray more.
Ultimately, the game never came down to whether Romo could play or not. It would come down to how much either team’s defense factored into the game.
With the way the Eagles offense has played this season, Dallas would have to be perfect. The Eagles defense is hit or miss, but game’s like Sunday’s only create and help sustain momentum.
But with all the speculation about Romo, there is a disappointment. When Eagles fans were chanting they wanted Dallas, they really wanted Romo. They wanted another choke show. They wanted to see him fail again at their benefit.
That may not happen now, so hanging in the balance is the drama that was supposed to be.
Sunday Night Football in Week 17: the last regular-season game to be played in the NFL is now potentially a battle between Nick Foles and Kyle Orton? Say it isn’t so?
But it appears so. Sources close to the situation believe it’s “unlikely” Romo suits up. What a turn of events that would be.
Not only does it make the Eagles even more of a clear-cut favorite, it gives them added pressure.
How they respond to that will be important. However, if the Eagles are treating the game the same, no matter who is playing at quarterback, they shouldn’t have a problem.
One team appears to have everything figured out. The other is dodging a media circus over their quarterback and the magnitude of this game. The only question that appears unanswered is who will be the starting quarterback for Dallas. Will Romo play or won’t he.
For the Eagles, that should hardly matter.
Kevin Durso is a contributor for Eagledelphia. Look for his Monday Review the morning after every Eagles game. Follow him on twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.
