Tony Romo Injury: Why Cowboys Will Be Rewarded by Starting Romo in Week 3

The Dallas Cowboys have been hit hard by the injury bug this season. For Week 3's matchup versus the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football, the Cowboys will be without starting wide receiver Miles Austin and starting cornerback Terence Newman.

Dez Bryant and Felix Jones are both recovering from injury as well, and are questionable for this week's game. And then, of course, there's the broken-ribbed, holey-lunged Tony Romo. 

It has been a tumultuous season for Romo. After being the recipient of almost all the blame for Dallas's Week 1 loss to the New York Jets, Romo showed a lot of grit and determination in a win over the San Francisco 49ers last week.

The team struggled to maintain drives for the short stint that backup quarterback Jon Kitna was at the helm, so how well would they perform if he played a whole game?

The situation with Romo is shaping up to be a game-time decision, but Week 2's game showed us all just why the Cowboys would be better off if he gets the go-ahead to start.

Jon Kitna Is Too Inconsistent

In the world of professional football, Jon Kitna is the Cadillac of backup quarterbacks, yet he struggled in spot duty during the Cowboys' Week 2 game.

Kitna completed 6-of-10 for 87 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Averaging 8.7 yards per completion isn't bad, but turning the ball over twice in that span is unforgivable. 

The Washington Redskins have a solid secondary that could cause Kitna even more problems than the porous 49ers did. 

Tony Romo has passed for more than 300 yards in each game this season. When he is in the lineup, the Cowboys field one of the best aerial attacks in the league.

Nonexistent Running Game

Without Romo in the lineup, the Cowboys running game might perform even more poorly than it has so far. Through two weeks, Dallas' running corps has rushed for a measly 109 yards—good for 31st in the league.

The much ballyhooed Felix Jones has not been the spark plug the team had hoped for and with the shoulder injury he suffered last week, things don't look likely to improve soon.

Without Romo to pick up the slack, the Cowboys defense would shoulder much more of the load than they are prepared to handle.  

Cowboys Defense Asked To Shoulder Too Much

As I said before, the Cowboys defense may not be ready to handle the added pressure the team would face without Tony Romo. The Cowboys are ranked third in the league in total defense, but rank 21st in points against.

Part of that is due to the two interceptions Kitna threw. If he starts, they better get used to protecting a short field.

Depleted Wide Receiving Corps

Miles Austin is a beast—just ask the 49ers secondary. Last week, Austin caught nine passes for 143 yards and three touchdowns before tweaking his hamstring and not returning to the game. 

Dez Bryant dressed for practice for the first time since bruising his quadriceps muscle in the season opener on Friday. However, the gifted wideout didn't participate, he was only able to workout on the sides.

If both of the teams' starting receivers are out on Monday, coach Jason Garrett will be throwing out the likes of Kevin Ogletree and Jesse Holley. I don't think Dallas fans want to see the entire B-team offense on MNF.