2013 (finished 8-8, 2nd in NFC East)
Week 5: Broncos 51, Cowboys 48
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
It’s never fun to watch your team lose, but it’s impossible not to appreciate this epic shootout between Tony Romo and Peyton Manning in his second season as a Bronco.
Romo notched the first 500-yard passing game in franchise history and hurled five touchdown throws, but came up short in a back-and-forth affair in which Dallas led 14-0 early, but trailed 28-20 at intermission. Denver built their lead to as much as 15 points before Romo led a Cowboys rally, helping Terrance Williams, Dez Bryant, and Jason Witten to 100-plus-yard outings in a game that saw over 1,000 yards of combined offense in one of the highest-scoring games in NFL history.
Dallas led 48-41 midway through the final quarter, but had just two offensive snaps after that as Manning and the Broncos put up the next ten points while executing a keep-away strategy to near-perfection.
Week 16: Cowboys 24, Redskins 23
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
On a highlight reel showcasing Romo’s scrappy never-say-die style of play, this late December game has to be included. Down 23-17 with under four minutes to go, Romo led the offense 87 yards down a muddy field that culminated in a bit of do-or-die wizardry from No. 9. Running back DeMarco Murray lost nine yards on a 3rd-and-goal run from the Washington 1 to set up 4th-and-goal from the 10 with just over a minute in regulation. Saving their last timeout, Romo took the snap, climbed the pocket, and extended the play.
He finally fired a pass to Murray, who fell into the end zone to tie the score. A Dan Bailey kick would seal the win, but it was Romo who had practically willed the team to the victory, all while visibly limping through most of the final quarter. It was determined after the game that Romo had suffered a herniated disc in his lower back; he sat out the Week 17 game, which Dallas lost to miss the postseason.[lawrence-newsletter]