Tony Oh No: Romo's Mistakes and Erroneous Pass Defense Ruin Dallas' Home Opener

Tony Romo threw three interceptions, and the Giants scored 24 points off turnovers and torched the Cowboys' corners to ruin the Cowboys home opener 33-31.

Tony Romo went 13-27 for 127 and a rushing touchdown, but his three interceptions, all of which lead to points for the Giants, proved to make a huge difference in Sunday night's game.  The first one Romo threw late in the first quarter to rookie free agent Bruce Johnson, who returned the interception 34 yards for a touchdown.

The second interception came late in the second quarter when Romo threw a ball behind tight end Jason Witten, who deflected it into the hands of safety Kenny Phillips.  Phillips also caught the third interception when Romo overthrew a deep ball to Patrick Crayton .

No Cowboy receiver had more than five receptions and thirty yards.

The only positive for the Cowboys offense was the running game. Marion Barber had 127 yards and a TD on just 18 carries but left the game as he strained his quad at the end of a 35 yard run.  His status for next week is unknown.

Felix Jones had 96 yards on seven carries including a 56 yard run but fumbled on a kickoff return that led to a Giants field goal.  The two backs combined for 220 yards on 25 carries.

Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett's play calling comes into question as the running game was working and yet he still let Romo air the ball out with disastrous results.

The Cowboys defense got the job done as they held Brandon Jacobs to 58 yards on 16 carries but didn't record a sack for the second straight game, didn't force a turnover and were torched by receivers Steve Smith and Mario Manningham.

Eli Manning constantly found the Giants starting receivers wide open as he went 25-38 for 330 and two TD'S.  Smith and Manninham got the bulk of Manning's passes, and they combined for 20 receptions for 284 yards and two TDs.

Smith beat Terence Newman early in the game with a 49-yard reception and scored a 22-yard TD late in the game.  Manningham caught a 22-yard TD pass in the second quarter and drew a 34-yard interference call on Newman late in the third quarter. 

Despite the turnovers and the points the Giants scored off them, the Cowboys had the lead with three minutes left, but the Eli and his receivers drove down the field with almost no resistance.  Manning went 7-9 on the final drive, and Lawrence Tynes kicked a 37-yard field goal to win the game as time expired.

The Cowboys are talented and can put up points, but if their defense doesn't come around, and if Romo doesn't control himself, it'll be another season of ups and downs followed by disappointment in December.

It's one thing to have the most talented team in the NFL, but it's another thing to win games and make a deep run in the playoffs, and Romo and the Cowboys need to figure that out and fast.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the Cowboys injury report.