Romo Playing Better Than Ever, Ready to Take It Up a Notch Against the Eagles

ARLINGTON, Texas — When the Dallas Cowboys last faced the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium, everything was on the line. But the Cowboys lost a winner-take-all battle for the NFC East title and the playoffs in the 2013 season finale with quarterback Tony Romo at home recovering from surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back.

While Thursday's Thanksgiving Day affair pits two 8-3 teams and is for sole possession of first place in the NFC East, there is not the same finality as last season. Five games remain in the season, including a second meeting Dec. 14 in Philadelphia; so much is left to be decided.

But Romo is excited for the opportunity to face the Eagles with something on the line and continue an electrifying season where he has not only proved doubters wrong, but surpassed expectations.

If truth be told, no one thought a 34-year-old Romo would be the same following his second back surgery in as many offseasons.

Romo is not the same. He is playing as well as he ever has, if not better.

Elsa/Getty Images

His quarterback rating of 111.4 is a career high and ranks second in the league. His completion percentage of 68.8 is also a career high and ranks second in the league.

And with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions, Romo is as efficient as ever. Consider that three interceptions came in the season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers when he was still dealing with some back issues from his surgery. He has thrown 21 touchdowns to just three interceptions since.

Owner Jerry Jones said Romo has never played better than he is right now. 

“His year, at this juncture, is the best I’ve seen him play,” Jones said. “He’s really playing at a top level.”

Tight end Jason Witten, who has been Romo's favorite target since he took over as starting quarterback in 2006, agreed with Jones.

“Good as we’ve ever seen," Witten said of Romo's play. "Really good with the ball and finding and creating plays like he always has. You look back at him and kind of what he’s done for our team … playing as good as I’ve ever seen.” 

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Kurt Warner ranks Tony Romo as his No. 1 QB for Week 12. Warner: "He's just playing exceptional football. He's not making mistakes."

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 27, 2014"

Of course, this is what Romo predicted in training camp when he incredulously promised he would be a better version of himself in 2014 and over the next years, all while missing practice time and being put on a pitch count as he continued to rehab from back surgery.

His MVP-level play has caught everyone by surprise, save for himself. But Romo has no interest in taking stock of his accomplishments now. There is more work to be done.

“We’ll do that when the season is over,” Romo said. “Like I said before in training camp, I thought that we were going to continue to do things at a high level here going forward, and I think our team has continued to get better and better as the season has gone on. Now it’s time to take that up another notch.”

That notch for Romo and the Cowboys is no longer about winning the final game of the regular season and making the playoffs, it's about finally making a run to the Super Bowl. It's the only major hole in Romo's career.

Jones said now is the best chance for the Cowboys to win, and it would be a huge disappointment if Romo doesn't get a ring before he retires.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

“Because Tony has the skills,” Jones said. “He is a franchise quarterback. He has won big games, every way you can win them. He’s won them using surrounding talent well, he’s won them without using his surrounding talent. When you have a quarterback like that, you want to put enough around him so you can compete for a Super Bowl. If we don’t do that when he’s active, it’ll be a disappointment."

The process continues Thursday in the NFC East showdown against the Eagles. 

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Tony Romo is 6-1 on Thanksgiving Day with a passer rating of 108.2. Romo has won his last 3 vs. the Eagles.

— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) November 27, 2014"

It's an opportunity Romo didn't get at the end of last season. And he's ready to take it up a notch. 

"Playing against a really good football team who is going to bring great energy," Romo said. "We understand how important this game is for both teams, and I think it'll be fun to just to see them try and attack us and come after you and be an aggressive team. That will be an enjoyable game to go against.

"I don't think you're going to decide the division right here, but I do think there's a lot of games left," Romo said. "But we also understand the importance of it obviously going against a team that we're tied with at this point in the year."

Clarence Hill covers the Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.