After rumors and speculation that Tony Romo will play this Sunday dominated the headlines, Jerry Jones himself confirmed the quarterback will play.
Jerry Jones confirms Tony Romo will play today with some starters. Spoke on the field. Video being fed in to Gameday Morning right now.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 1, 2017
This is really a difficult, but correct decision. If the Cowboys do need Romo to play in the playoffs, meaning Dak Prescott was injured, then it would have been potentially disastrous to throw Romo into a game cold and without any in-game reps this season.
It remains to be seen how long Romo will play, but it would be smart to let him run at least a few offensive drives so he can get into the flow of the speed of the game after being out since the preseason.
One key thing to watch is how well the Cowboys protect up front. Tyron Smith will be out as he recovers from an MCL sprain, and Philadelphia’s front seven can bring the heat. You have to believe Jason Garrett will be quick to pull Romo if he takes a couple early hits.
Prescott is set to start the game, and Mark Sanchez will play as well. However, all three quarterbacks might find themselves handing the ball off to Ezekiel Elliott quite a bit as he chases Eric Dickerson’s rookie rushing record (more on that here).
Being that Dallas has already locked the No. 1 seed and has a bye next weekend, this game represents a glorified practice session. It’s going to be interesting to see how it all unfolds, and whether the decisions being made now will end up coming under scrutiny in the aftermath.