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Irving, Texas • Tony Romo has now directed decisive fourth-quarter drives in the past two Dallas wins.
The Cowboys don't even want to think about where they would be without the latest successes from Romo, whose resume is also filled with some notable late-game failures.
Dallas just knows this: With Romo's winning drive to Dan Bailey's 35-yard field goal on the final play at the New York Giants on Sunday, the Cowboys are back in control of the NFC East with five games left, starting with a short week before their Thanksgiving game against Oakland.
"I'd rather not have him have to have that opportunity to have to make that drive that he made," a relieved Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after the game, three days removed from declaring that coach Jason Garrett would return in 2014 even if Dallas missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year. "We didn't need to lose that football game."
The Cowboys had blown a 15-point lead in the second half and let New York get even at 21-21. Romo was 80 yards from the end zone on a frigid field, and got the Cowboys in position to run out the clock before Bailey's kick for a 24-21 win.
Instead of tumbling toward another potentially tumultuous offseason, Dallas is tied with Philadelphia at 6-5, has a 4-0 division record and gets the Eagles at home to finish the regular season.
"I think you either feel comfortable in those situations or you don't," said Romo, who has 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions. "Just through all the experiences and all the times you've put yourself in that position as a team and we feel good. We've done that a couple of times these last three weeks or four weeks and you just go out and do it." —
Oakland (4-7)at Dallas (6-5)
O Thursday, 2:30 p.m.
TV • Ch. 2