Tony Romo Must Elevate Game to Unchartered Territories To Mask Cowboys Flaws

Life for the Dallas Cowboys has been filled with shock and awe in the last two weeks.

It's similar to a lottery scratcher addict at your local 7-Eleven. He gets two out of three jackpot numbers and as he's scratching away for the third one, he ends up disappointed every time. 

So close, yet so far. 

After a heart-wrenching loss in the Valley of the Sun, the Cowboys showed up strong at home against the Giants for three-and-a-half quarters.

That's when Eli Manning decided to show the world that Tim Tebow isn't the only quarterback that has miraculous comebacks up his sleeve. 

The Cowboys dropped the game 37-34 and now find themselves with more questions than answers heading into the final three weeks of the season. 

When Dez Bryant caught a long bomb from Tony Romo in what seemed like the dagger of the game, it seemed like the Cowboys had righted the ship and were on track to win the NFC East division title for the third time in five years. 

Now, they are on the outside looking in. The Giants control their own destiny and it seems very likely that Dallas will have to march into the Meadowlands and defeat Eli's bunch in Week 17. 

The Cowboys do have one silver lining though. 

Tony Romo hasn't been the guy that's been giving games away. It's been undisciplined penalties, a leaky defense, untimely timeouts and poor special teams. Romo has actually played stellar football throughout. 

He needs to play better. He needs to take his game to the next level and play perfect football.

Blame the Dallas defense and Dan Bailey all you want, but Dallas would've won the game tonight if Romo wasn't sacked in the end zone in the first quarter and if he connected with Miles Austin late in the fourth in what looked like an automatic touchdown.

We all know Romo is a top 10 quarterback, but if he wants to be considered elite like Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees, he has to mask his team's liabilities and flaws. 

This is an opportune time for Romo to show he has veins of ice water. This is his time to shine. He's been playing well and giving his team opportunities to win like he did tonight. He has been a vocal leader on and off the field and has demonstrated his toughness early on in the season when he played with a fractured rib.

In times of adversity, good players elevate their game and become great. The Cowboys now head to Tampa Bay for a Saturday night tilt against the Bucs. It's a game that they should be able to win.

Then they play a Christmas Eve showdown against the Eagles. Philadelphia will present a tough challenge. Although they are 5-8, they have Michael Vick back and have also played well against teams in the NFC East. 

The following week on New Year's Day, Romo and the Cowboys would love to ring in 2012 with a playoff berth in the Meadowlands.

After tonight's loss, every game becomes a playoff game for the Cowboys. 

Can they pull it off and win the division?

It all depends on Romo. 

Although the running game has shined this year, there have been moments where they've fallen flat.

Although Rob Ryan's defense has had moments of glory with great plays from Sean Lee, Jay Ratliff, Terence Newman and DeMarcus Ware, they can show leakiness like they did tonight against New York.

And although Dan Bailey has kicked some unbelievably long field goals this season, he's also failed to deliver in the clutch.

The only constant for the Cowboys this year has been Romo. His excellence on the field is exemplified through his 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions. From starting quarterbacks who haven't missed a game, only Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco and Alex Smith have thrown less interceptions.

Romo's been the guy not making mistakes. He's had to deal with faulty snaps from young and inexperienced centers. In big games like tonight, he's given his team a chance to win. He needs to continue to be that guy and more.

In the last three weeks and beyond, Romo needs to play polished football like he never has before. He has the potential to accomplish this feat. He can't rely on his teammates. They've shown to be inconsistent.

If Dallas wants to play deep into January, Romo has to grab the bull by the horns and be the angriest and hungriest Cowboy he's ever been.