Tony Romo and the worst home openers in Dallas Cowboys history
By Shaun Church
6. Tony Romo; Sept. 7, 2014
Opponent: San Francisco 49ers
Final: 49ers 28, Cowboys 17
Stats: 23-37 (62.2%), 281 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT, 60.1 rating
At no point was Romo in control of the game Sunday. He turned the ball over three times in the first half, leading to two 49ers touchdowns. Although the Cowboys converted 5-of-9 third downs, three of them came on one touchdown drive in the third quarter when the game was already out of hand.
It’s by far the worst Week 1 performance of his career. Before Sunday, Romo’s average season opener looked like this: 23.9-of-34.9 (68.4%) for 316 yards, 2.3 touchdowns and 0.7 interceptions for a 110.2 rating. Dallas was 5-2 in those games.
The Cowboys needed to rely on DeMarco Murray more than they did. Romo kept making mistakes, but 12 of Murray’s 22 carries gained at least five yards (54.5%), while three went 10-plus (13.6%). Dallas’ offensive line provided Murray with plenty of space most of the afternoon, and he made the San Francisco defense pay.
The line also protected Romo well enough for the veteran to make plays. He was pressured on only 10 of his 40 dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required) and was sacked three times. But he simply did not make those plays. By the time the first half had concluded, he’d thrown all three of his picks and dug his team into a four-score hole it could not escape.
All stats provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise stated