Tony Romo Injury: Update on Dallas Cowboys Star's Status

The Dallas Cowboys saw their 2010 season fall apart precisely when Tony Romo went down with a broken clavicle, an injury that ultimately ended his season.

Two games into 2011, Romo is hurt once again. At some point in the first half of Dallas' road game against the San Francisco 49ers, Romo suffered a rib injury. He was late to emerge for the locker room at the start of the second half, and has yet to return to the game, which is nearing the end of the third quarter.

Fantasy Impact

Say what you will about Romo's turnover tendencies, but I think we can all agree that he's a pretty reliable fantasy quarterback. He threw for more than 300 yards in Week 1, and he threw for 144 yards and a touchdown in the first half against the 49ers.

It has just been revealed (per Cowboys beat writer Clarence Hill) that Romo suffered a fractured rib and that he won't be returning, so he will be stuck on those numbers for the remainder of the day.

Who's the Backup?

Same guy as last year: Jon Kitna. Upon entering the game in relief of Romo, he promptly threw an interception in the end zone. At that point, many "Yup, he's Jon Kitna" jokes were told.

Kitna did bounce back with a touchdown pass to Miles Austin, but he proceeded to throw another pick right before the end of the third quarter.

So if you're looking for a fantasy replacement, I'd look elsewhere.

Devastation Scale: 6

If a 10 in this regard is the effect Peyton Manning's neck injury has had on the Colts, I'd give Romo's injury a 6 on the devastation scale.

On the one hand, I'm not so sure the Cowboys are that much better with Romo than they are with Kitna, a point that many raised late in the 2010 season.

Additionally, I'm not so sure the Cowboys are a very good team in the first place. It's hard to see them making a playoff run no matter who's under center.

Timeline for Return

We know Romo will not be returning in this game, but exactly how long he will be out going forward is something nobody knows. He could miss a game or two, or he could miss no games.

Stay tuned for more.

What They're Saying

There are a lot of jokes going around Twitter about Romo right now. The most common one that is being used (by people like ESPN fantasy analyst Christopher Harris) right now is "Tony Romo -- a place for ribs." Some are saying "a place for rib injuries" instead, but you get the idea.

Update: Romo surprisingly reentered the game roughly two minutes after I wrote all this. Turns out the dude is a gamer.

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LIFE HURTS. THIS INJURY UPDATE BROUGHT TO YOU BY DICKIES.