Tony Romo: Clutch Thanksgiving Play Is Common, Needed

For Cowboys Nation, Thanksgiving is associated with one thing – Dallas Cowboys football. This tradition is so long standing, that it would be nearly impossible to picture the holiday without watching our team play.

Since we have been blessed with the gift of Tony Romo, the quarterback has made our Thanksgivings pretty good.

Here is a look, year by year, at how Romo has built a 5-2 Turkey Day record.

2007: Cowboys 34 Jets 3

Tony Romo helped the Cowboys get off to their best 11 game start in team history with a beat down of the Jets on his first Thanksgiving start.

He threw two scores, one to Jason Witten and the other to Terrell Owens.

2008: Cowboys 34 Seahawks 9

This game marked back to back holiday starts that Romo put up 34 points, and it was once again good for a blowout win over the Seahawks.

Romo passed for 331 yards and three touchdowns to three different targets – Jason Witten, Terrell Owens and Martellus Bennett.

2009: Cowboys 24 Raiders 7

The Cowboys put up their highest yard total of the season in another Thanksgiving domination – as Miles Austin and Roy Williams caught scoring passes from Romo in the win.

The following year, in 2010, Romo did not play on Thanksgiving and the Saints snapped this three-game winning streak thanks to a late Roy Williams fumble.

2011: Cowboys 20 Dolphins 19

This one was nothing short of stressful for Cowboys fans, as Romo threw two scores but also two interceptions. However, he came up clutch as always – setting up a Dan Bailey game-winning field goal as time expired.

Bailey was in just his rookie season at the time.

2012: Redskins 38 Cowboys 31

All great things must end somewhere, and this was the case for Romo’s four-game Thanksgiving win streak. While throwing for three scores, he also turned it over twice.

With a short week to prepare, Robert Griffin III had his way with the Dallas defense – accounting for four touchdowns in the shootout win.

2013: Cowboys 31 Raiders 24

The Cowboys got right back to their winning ways this year with another win over the Raiders. While Romo did not nearly have his best day, he did what was needed to win, and relied heavily on DeMarco Murray – who had three rushing touchdowns.

Romo’s one touchdown was a big one, as it went to Dez Bryant to tie the game in the third quarter.

2014: Eagles 33 Cowboys 10

The Cowboys last time out on Thanksgiving certainly left a bad taste in our mouths. With another short week to prepare for a up-tempo offense, Chip Kelly racked up the points in this blowout road win.

Romo had his worst Thanksgiving start, throwing two interceptions and no touchdowns.

Tomorrow, the Cowboys will look to bounce back against an undefeated Carolina Panthers team. I expect a very close game, so make sure you plan accordingly to get in front of a TV when the times comes.

After all, you don’t want to miss whatever magical moment Tony Romo has in store for us.

What are your favorite Thanksgiving Cowboys stories and memories? Feel free to share them below, or find me on Twitter @ShoreSportsNJ!