Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo left Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles with a broken left collarbone.
The Cowboys made the announcement during the game, shortly after Romo hobbled off the field with his second broken clavicle in five years. Romo returned to the sidelines later in civilian clothes and with his left arm in a sling.
The team said an official announcement about how long Romo would be out would be made Monday. A broken clavicle injury typically takes around eight weeks to recover.
When Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was asked how he felt when Romo went down, he replied “just about as low as a crippled cricket’s ass.”
Romo himself was more philosophical.
“I’ll be back,” he said in an interview after the game. “It’s going to take a little bit of time. It’s a broken bone. It is what it is.”
Romo also broke his left collarbone in 2010, in a Week 7 game against the New York Giants. He wound up missing the rest of the season.
At the time of Romo’s injury against the Eagles, the Cowboys were winning a defense-oriented struggle, by 13-0, and they eventually won, 20-10.
The Romo injury has the potential to define the season for the Cowboys and their NFC East rivals, including the Washington Redskins. They also lost star wide receiver Dez Bryant in Week 1 to a broken foot — another injury that could keep a key offensive cog out for weeks.
The Cowboys are the defending division champions, but the Redskins don’t play them until Week 13 and Week 17, by which time Romo and Bryant could each possibly return.
With the Cowboys’ victory over the Eagles, they lead the division at 2-0, with the Redskins at 1-1 and both the Eagles and the Giants at 0-2.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.