He had been out for seven weeks with a collarbone injury, so there was hope for the season from diehard Cowboys fans.
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Dallas quarterback Tony Romo was knocked out of the game against Carolina with an injury to the same shoulder that sidelined him for seven games this season.
Not that it mattered. Coleman eluded the Dallas offensive players in pursuit, crossing the field for a pick-six that gave Carolina a 7-0 lead with 14:15 remaining in the first quarter. The Panthers’ utter domination Thursday would have done the trick, too, whether Romo had finished the game or not. The team is now 3-8 with Cassell back at quarterback.
NOTES: Carolina snapped a five-game losing streak to the Cowboys. Dallas was 0-7 with Romo out of the lineup. Cassel’s last victory came in the 2014 season opener for the Vikings.
The Cowboys’ rebirth lasted all of one week. During the hit, Davis landed on top of Romo, driving the quarterback’s shoulder into the artificial turf. Without Romo as an emotional leader, the Cowboys crumbled.
“I look at what (the Panthers) do, how they play their defense, what they’ve got going with their offense, the kind of year Cam Newton is having – they are a real example of how to put a team together that is exemplary”, he said.
That will come Friday.
According to ESPN, X-rays on Romo’s injured left collarbone were inconclusive Thursday (Nov. 26), but sources say he’s “done for the season”.
This is definitely a disappointing end to a disappointing season for the Cowboys. They were 3-0 with him and feeling invincible. The critics believed Romo would be the catalyst to light a fire under the Cowboys offense. And so did the bookmakers. But the red-hot Panthers are now undefeated, with a ideal 10-0 record. The Cowboys managed to escape the Dolphins a week earlier in Miami despite two Romo interceptions. His already-shortened season might be done, along with the team’s faint playoff chances. And, boy, did he have some doozies.
Carolina safety Kurt Coleman and Kuechly scored on pick-sixes in the first half to propel the Panthers to a 23-3 lead at halftime.
Carolina’s defence stifled the Cowboys’ attack which included two interceptions by Panther linebacker Luke Kuechly in the second quarter.
“I put my hands up and caught it, and I was kind of surprised”, Kuechly recalled.
The Cowboys can forget all that now, likely even if Romo is able to play again in 2015.
“You can hear something happen, you’re just disappointed, frustrated”, Romo said. “They are playing at a high level”.
Romo completed 11 of 21 passes for 106 yards and three interceptions. This team has shown an inability to win without Romo plus an inability to win when he doesn’t bring his A-game.
“I have a lot of confidence in myself”, Cassel said.
Romo’s next throw didn’t go much better. Some of the decisions and poor decisions that I made were just uncharacteristic and very frustrating and cost our team today.
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“Their best receiver has been hurt, their tight end has been hurt, their running game is still in flux because it’s just starting to develop and the runner is getting used to the blockers, and the blockers are just getting used to the quarterback being back”, Rivera said of the defending NFC East champions.
