TL;DR
- Tony Romo had outstanding statistics as Cowboys QB but struggled to win playoff games.
- Romo ranks high in Thanksgiving game passing stats, sharing a TD record with Matthew Stafford.
- He finished his NFL career without a Super Bowl win, going 2-5 in postseason starts.
- Despite team struggles, Romo is a notable Cowboys quarterback and successful broadcaster.
Time moves fast around the NFL. Tony Romo may be known as the beloved face of CBS' NFL coverage now, but it wasn't long ago Cowboys fans were waffling about where he ranked among NFL starting quarterbacks.
Romo consistently achieved outstanding statistical numbers, and the Eastern Illinois alum was a fixture for The Cowboys. Despite his career concluding abruptly due to injury, he was discussed in a similar vein to nearly-elite quarterbacks in the contemporary NFL.
What was the firestorm around Romo?
Even with his consistently outstanding statistics, the Cowboys frequently failed to achieve victory under his leadership. They never advanced beyond the Divisional Round with Romo as their quarterback; however, to be fair to him, they haven't progressed past that stage since his retirement either.
Romo also participated in a number of Thanksgiving Day contests. The Cowboys, naturally, are a consistent participant on Turkey Day, and Romo served as the Cowboys' primary quarterback for nine seasons. He ranks among the most productive passers in Thanksgiving game history, predictably joining Matthew Stafford given his tenure with The Lions.
Despite not achieving his ultimate goals with The Cowboys, Romo still enjoyed a notable tenure as a starting quarterback. Below are his statistics as Dallas's starting signal-caller.
MORE: Ranking the 18 greatest Cowboys players of all time
Tony Romo record with Cowboys
As a starting quarterback, Romo was 78-49 for the Cowboys in the regular season.
He completed 65.3 percent of his passes for 34,183 yards (37th in NFL history) and 248 touchdowns. He also had 117 interceptions with the Cowboys as their QB.
Romo ranks fifth all-time in NFL passer rating with a 95.62, placing him between Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers.
Near the end of Rivers' tenure, he had three-straight eight-win seasons and he had several years shortened by injury. He finished with a win percentage of 61 percent.
MORE: Why do the Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving?
Romo's Thanksgiving stats
Romo went 6-3 on Thanksgiving as a starter, with his final Thanksgiving game coming 2015 in his second game off of injured reserve.
He began his professional journey with a perfect 5-0 record on Thanksgiving Day, subsequently losing three out of the final four contests he participated in on that holiday.
Romo shares the NFL record for holiday touchdown passes with 18, matching Matthew Stafford. He also ranks second in passing yards with 2,338, trailing Stafford's 3,000.
The quarterback has had numerous standout performances on Thanksgiving, achieving three or more touchdowns in three separate games. Conversely, he also threw 11 interceptions during Thanksgiving games.
MORE: Who invented the turducken?
Tony Romo's Super Bowl win?
Romo never won a Super Bowl during his NFL career.
He went 2-5 as a starter for the Cowboys in the postseason. He did not play in the final Cowboys playoff game in his career, a 34-31 loss to the Packers in 2017. Romo was inactive for the first Cowboys playoff game of his career, a loss to the Panthers in 2004.
Romo achieved a 2-1 record in the wild card round as the Cowboys' starting quarterback, but struggled to a 0-4 record in the divisional round, despite receiving two first-round byes. He never secured a Super Bowl victory.
Throughout his career, Romo achieved a completion rate of 61.62 percent in the postseason, accumulating 1,316 yards, eight touchdowns, and two interceptions. Nevertheless, for various reasons, the Cowboys were unable to progress. In the 2006-07 wild card round, a mishandled snap by him led to the Cowboys' elimination. In 2014-15, the infamous Dez Bryant no-catch played a role. To put it plainly, there was consistently an issue.
Romo is now considered a prominent Cowboys quarterback in the team's history, even with the team's poor performance. Following his retirement, he quickly impressed NFL viewers in the CBS broadcast booth, further enhancing his reputation. While his on-field discussions with Troy Aikman have concluded, Aikman having secured three Super Bowls, the dialogue surrounding their careers as broadcasters could persist for a considerable period.
MORE: How John Madden started the NFL's Thanksgiving Turkey Leg tradition