Sure, the Cowboys were only 8-8 on the season……but that wasn’t Tony Romo’s fault.  The 31-year old Tony Romo played in 16 games (all starts) for the Cowboys last year and he completed 346 of 522 passes (66.3%) for 4,184  yards with 31 TD passes and 10 INTs (102.5 QB Rating). Romo also carried the ball 22 times for 46 yards (2.1 ypc) with 1 TD run last year.  Romo has now played in 105 games (77 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 1,672 of 2,592 passes (64.5%) for 20,834 yards with 149 TD passes and 72 INTs (96.9 QB Rating).  Romo has also carried the ball 158 times for 459 yards (2.9 ypc) with 4 TD carries so far in his NFL career.  Romo is now 47-30 (61%) as a starting QB during the regular season in the NFL.

26-year old Stephen McGee got into a game this year when Tony Romo injured his hand and he didn’t play too bad.  McGee completed 24 of 38 passes (63.2%) for 182 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs (83.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 4 times for 28 yards (7.0 ypc) last year.  McGee has now played in 3 games (1 start) for the Cowboys in his career and he has completed 46 of 82 passes (56.1%) for 420 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs (82.4 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 17  times for 102 yards (6.0 ypc) so far in his NFL career.  McGee is 1-0 as the Cowboys’ starting QB.

39-year old Jon Kitna is likely near the end of the line as his season was ended early due to injury.  Kitna played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Cowboys last year and he completed 6 of 10 passes (60%) for 87 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs (82.1 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 3 times for -2 yards (-0.7 ypc) last year.  Kitna has now played in 141 games (124 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 2,677 of 4,442 passes (60.3%) for 29,745  yards with 169 TD passes and 165 INTs (77.4 QB Rating).  Kitna also has carried the ball 313 times for 956 yards (3.1 ypc) with 11 TD runs so far in his NFL career.  Kitna is 50-74 (40.3%) as a starting QB during the regular season in his NFL career.

31-year old QB Tony Romo has been on fire the last six weeks for the Cowboys.  In his last six games, Romo has completed 136 of 201 passes (67.7%) for 1,687 yards with 15 TD passes and 2 INTs.  The Cowboys are going to need Romo to stay hot if they are going to get back to the playoffs this year.  Romo has now played in 13 games this year for the Cowboys and he has completed 294 of 453 passes (64.9%) for 3,646 yards with 26 TD passes and 9 INTs (100.6 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 17 times for 44 yards (2.6 ypc) so far this year.

The Dallas Cowboys have lost two games in a row, making this game on Saturday Night a must win game if they want to get into the playoffs.  The Cowboys are 6-2 against teams under .500 this year.  The Buccaneers have lost seven games in a row!  But, they are at home and this is only their second sellout and last home game of the year….so they might be inspired.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Cowboys are likely going to be pass heavy this Saturday against the Bucs.  The Buccaneers don’t have much of a pass rush and they are giving up 248.8 yards passing per game so far this year, so Tony Romo is in line to have another outstanding game.  Look for him to spread the ball around to Jason Witten, Laurent Robinson, Miles Austin and Dez Bryant…as they should have no problem going right down the field through the air.  Felix Jones will lend ground support against a Bucs’ D that is allowing 139.7 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry.

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Buccaneers will likely try to run the ball with LeGarrette Blount against a Cowboys’ D that is allowing 101.2 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry.  The Cowboys are going to be sending OLB DeMarcus Ware (15 sacks) after Josh Freeman and his sore right shoulder all day long.  The Cowboys are going to get a lot of shots at pickoffs this weekend as Freeman had a hard time getting the ball down the field last week against the Jaguars.

PREDICTION:  COWBOYS 31, BUCCANEERS 14

26-year old WR Laurent Robinson has been outstanding for the Cowboys lately.  In his last five games, Robinson has caught 24 passes for 321 yards (13.4 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  He has played in 9 games overall this year for the Cowboys and he has caught 38 passes for 554 yards (14.6 avg) with 7 TD grabs so far this year.  Robinson has already set career highs in receptions, receiving yards and receiving TDs and he still has five games to play.  Robinson has now played in 47 games in his first five years in the NFL and he has caught 127 passes for 1,554 yards (12.2 avg) with 11 TD grabs.

31-year old QB Tony Romo has been red hot the last three weeks.  Romo has completed 65 of 94 passes (69.1%) for 841 yards with 8 TD passes and 0 INTs in his last three weeks.  The Cowboys have won the last three games by a combined score of 94-44 against the Redskins, Bills and Seahawks.  Romo has now played in 10 games for the Cowboys this year and he has completed 223 of 346 passes (64.5%) for 2,800 yards with 19 TD passes and 7 INTs (99.4 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 14 times for 45 yards (3.2 ypc) so far this year for the Cowboys.  The Cowboys are going to need Tony Romo to finish strongly if they are going to win the NFC East.

33-year old cornerback Terence Newman has been banged up a little bit so far this year, but when he has played, he has been really good.  Newman has played in 7 games for the Cowboys so far this year and he has 25 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 4 interceptions (one returned for a TD) and 6 passes defensed.  Newman has now played in 126 games in his first 9 years with the Cowboys and he has 514 tackles, 122 passes defensed, 32 interceptions (3 returned for TDs), 2 sacks, 7 forced fumbles, 5 fumble recoveries and 17 tackles for a loss.  The Cowboys need Newman to stay in one piece the rest of this year, because he appears to have plenty left in the gas tank.

Dez Bryant and Miles Austin have been banged up a little bit so far this year, but that has allowed the backups a chance to step up, and they have done so.  Bryant has caught 19 passes for 339 yards (17.8 avg) with 4 TD grabs so far this year, as he appears to be Tony Romo’s choice when driving the ball down the field.  Miles Austin has caught 23 passes for 323 yards (14.0 avg) with 4 TD grabs so far this year as he has played very well.  Laurent Robinson was cut and then re-signed when the Cowboys started having injuries.  He looks like a keeper as he has caught 14 passes for 233 yards (16.6 avg) so far in 2011.  Kevin Ogletree (9 rec, 106 yards, 11.7 avg) and Jesse Holley (3 rec, 96 yards, 32.0 avg) also have shown glimpses that they can make an impact when called upon by the Cowboys.

26-year old WR Laurent Robinson was cut before the season started by the Cowboys.  Injuries to the WRs caused the Cowboys to bring him back and they are very lucky that another team didn’t snap him up before they did.  Robinson caught 7 passes for 116 yards (16.6 avg) against the Lions last Sunday, as he was a force for the Cowboys.  He has now played in 2 games for the Cowboys so far this year and he has caught 10 passes for 165 yards (16.5 avg).  Robinson will start until Miles Austin returns to action for the Cowboys and they need him to keep up the good work.

Veteran kicker David Buehler hasn’t been able to play this year due to a hip problem.  That has opened the door for 23-year old Dan Bailey and he has been excellent for the Cowboys this year.  Last night he kicked six field goals good for all 18 of the points they scored.  Bailey has played in all 3 games for the Cowboys so far this year and he has made 9 of 10 field goals (90%) and all six of his extra points, good for 33 points so far this year.  It will be interesting to see how the Cowboys handle things when Buehler is healthy enough to return to action.

31-year old QB Tony Romo took a lot of heat after he pretty much blew the game against the Jets in the season opener.  He then fractured a rib and had a punctured lung against the Niners last Sunday.  That didn’t matter though as he watched a little bit from the sidelines before replacing Jon Kitna and leading the Cowboys to a big time comeback and win in O.T.  Romo has now played in 2 games for the Cowboys so far this year and he has completed 43 of 69 passes (62.3%) for 687 yards with 4 TD passes and 1 INT (108.8 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 3 times for 9 yards (3.0 ypc) so far this year.  It’s time for everyone to jump back on the Tony Romo bandwagon after last week when he proved his toughness and ability to lead his team to a tough win on the road.