Greg Cosell's Week 11 Review: Tony Romo makes a big difference

Tony Romo had an uneven performance on Sunday, his first game back after missing seven with a broken collarbone.

That’s to be expected after so much time off. What was also unsurprising is that the Cowboys looked a lot better on offense. You could see the difference a professional quarterback makes for the Cowboys passing game. The Cowboys were 7-of-14 on third down, and had the ball for more than 38 minutes. A big reason is that Romo could make throws to sustain drives. He also made some great throws to put points on the board, which we’ll get to in a bit.

First let’s look at two interceptions that, you’d have to think, happened in part because because Romo was rusty. In the first quarter, the Dolphins ran a “zero blitz” with no deep safety, and linebacker Neville Hewitt came free. So with no definition on the throw and Hewitt in his face, Romo threw the ball falling away with no vision. Even though Dez Bryant beat cornerback Brent Grimes to the inside, Grimes got an easy interception.

Hewitt got an interception later, and again Romo made an undefined throw in the face of pressure. Against a blitz, the pocket closed down. Romo tried to make a throw to running back Robert Turbin, releasing out of the backfield. It was a bad throw.

Even though Romo looked at times like a quarterback who hadn’t played in two months, he had moments where he gave the Cowboys some high-level quarterbacking they lacked during a seven-game losing streak.

Here’s a 31-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Williams. The Dolphins doubled tight end Jason Witten with a linebacker and a safety. Williams ran a vertical route to get over cornerback Jamar Taylor, and Romo made an excellent throw to get it to him.

Romo’s touchdown to Bryant was an example of the Dolphins doubling one of Dallas’ weapons, and the quarterback and receiver working together to beat it. The Dolphins blitzed, there was a double on Bryant with the safety and linebacker, but Bryant just won the route. Then Romo made a great throw to get him the ball.

The Cowboys weren’t great in this game. The offensive line, and in particular left tackle Tyron Smith, struggled. Romo made a few mistakes and missed some throws he normally would make. But Romo also made plays that the Cowboys hadn’t gotten out of the offense in seven weeks. There’s a reason that team could overcome their issues at Miami on Sunday and still win by 10 points.

You’d figure Romo will feel a little more comfortable in his second game back, which makes the Thanksgiving showdown against the Carolina Panthers a lot more interesting.

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NFL analyst and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell watches as much NFL game film as anyone. Throughout the season, Cosell will join Shutdown Corner to share his observations on the teams, schemes and personnel from around the league.