NFL Watch // Romo Clutch in Unexpected Season Finale
words // Brandon Richard
There was good news and a ton of bad news for the Dallas Cowboys this week. The good news? Tony Romo came up big when it mattered, leading the ‘Boys to a necessary victory against the Washington Redskins.
With 3:39 left to play, the Cowboys started a drive on their own 13-yard line down 23-17. Romo completed 3-of-5 passes to eventually set Dallas up with a scoring possibility. Three-straight DeMarco Murray runs netted negative yardage, giving Dallas a 4th and 10 on the Washington 10-yard line. Romo took the snap and completed a short pass to Murray, who found paydirt for the game-winning touchdown. The win gives Dallas a play-in game at home against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday night.
The bad news? They’ll be playing that game without Romo. Yesterday, it was announced that Romo will miss the remainder of the season with a herniated disk in his back. Veteran backup quarterback Kyle Orton will be taking over starting duties and the team signed Jon Kitna as insurance today. It’s hard to imagine either quarterback filling Romo’s void, though.
Also in Week 16, the Buffalo Bills made the Miami Dolphins’ road to the playoffs more difficult with a shutout at home; the Carolina Panthers got revenge on the New Orleans Saints; the Cincinnati Bengals clinched the AFC North after blasting the Minnesota Vikings; Peyton Manning set the single-season touchdown passes record as the Denver Broncos clinched the AFC West; the Indianapolis Colts handed the Kansas City Chiefs their third loss in five games; Carson Palmer and the Arizona Cardinals handed the Seattle Seahawks their first home loss of the season; the New York Giants played spoiler and eliminated the Detroit Lions from playoff contention; Tom Brady led New England to a dominant 41-7 victory on the road over the rival Baltimore Ravens; the San Diego Chargers stayed alive after doubling up the Oakland Raiders 26-13; Mike Tomlin’s Pittsburgh Steelers still somehow have a chance to make the postseason after topping Green Bay 38-31; the Philadelphia annihilated the Chicago Bears 54-11 Sunday night; and the San Francisco 49ers closed Candlestick in style with a win over the visiting Atlanta Falcons last night.
Take a look at some of the football cleats that hit the field during these games and more in today’s NFL Watch.
Tony Romo // Nike Lunar Superbad Pro
Dez Bryant // Air Jordan 12 PE Cleats
Thad Lewis // Nike Air Zoom Huarache 3
Greg Hardy // Under Armour Cam Highlight MC
Domata Peko // Nike Zoom Merciless
Peyton Manning // Reebok Zig Blaze
Delanie Walker // Nike Zoom Vapor Carbon Fly 2
Andrew Luck // Nike Alpha Pro
Geno Smith // Nike Alpha Talon Elite
TJ McDonald // Nike Alpha Pro
Patrick Peterson // Nike Huarache 4
Rueben Randle // Nike Vapor Talon Elite
Danny Amendola // Under Armour Blur MC
Keenan Allen // Nike Zoom Vapor Carbon Fly
Ben Roethlisberger // Nike Lunar Superbad Pro Low
Brandon Boykin // Nike CJ81 Elite TD
Colin Kaepernick // Air Jordan 12 PE Cleats
images via Yahoo / Getty Images (Rob Carr, Jonathan Ferrey, Greg Flume, Leon Halip, Scott Halleran, Wesley Hitt, Streeter Lecka, Andy Lyons, Maddie Meyer, Stacy Revere, Tom Szczerbowski, Michael Thomas, The Washington Post) / USA Today Sports (Kyle Terada)
words // Brandon Richard
