Cowboys’ Romo eager to play
Tony Romo is eager to help the Dallas Cowboys end their seven-game losing streak Sunday at Miami.
He just needs the final OK to be on the field.
Romo is expected to start against the Dolphins, though coach Jason Garrett is taking things day by day as his 35-year-old quarterback heals from a broken left collarbone.
Without Romo, the defending NFC East champions (2-7) went 0-3 with Branden Weeden starting and then lost four more with Matt Cassel under center. Weeden was cut on Tuesday.
“I don’t think that anyone in this locker room thinks by any means that this season is over,” Romo said Wednesday. “You lose enough games, sometimes it can creep in where it feels that way, and I don’t think our team has not ever given 100 percent commitment. That’s exciting to see. That’s how you can turn it around.”
Dallas has led or been tied in the fourth quarter in six of the losses, but has dealt with issues on and off the field. There has been drama surrounding Dez Bryant and Greg Hardy, but also some questions about the offense. The Cowboys waived running back Christine Michael this week, leaving two rookie backups to Darren McFadden who have two career carries combined, both by Rod Smith.
Still, Romo says there’s a chance to build some momentum with wins against a schedule that includes Carolina, Washington, Green Bay and the New York Jets after the Dolphins (4-5).
Bengals’ run game hitting a wall: Andy Dalton was the Bengals’ leading rusher at halftime, which pretty much summed up the state of Cincinnati’s running game.
It’s not good.
Dalton finished as Cincinnati’s second-leading rusher in a 10-6 loss to Houston on Monday night, gaining 30 yards on five carries. Giovani Bernard had 36 yards on eight carries. Starter Jeremy Hill was limited to 15 yards on seven carries.
The latest subpar day for the running game dropped Cincinnati to 3.9 yards per carry for the season, tied for seventh-fewest. Houston and Cleveland are last at 3.3 yards. The Bengals (8-1) have had only one 100-yard game by a running back this season.
On Sunday night, they play at Arizona (7-2), which has allowed the fourth-fewest yards rushing in the NFL and is ranked third overall on defense.
“We’ve played a lot of great rush defenses this year,” said Hill, whose top game total is 63 yards. “We understand that. You’ve got to take what the defense is giving you. We’ve done that this year.
“Again this week we’re going to try to establish the run, but if it’s not happening that way, you’ve got to make throws down the field and you’ve got to back those guys up a little bit.”
That’s not what the Bengals would prefer. They put more emphasis on the run last season and had six 100-yard games, five of them by Hill. Cincinnati averaged 4.36 yards per carry last season.
Packers’ Rodgers limited: Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was limited in practice on Wednesday with a right shoulder injury.
Coach Mike McCarthy said before practice that Rodgers was “banged up.” Rodgers agreed with that assessment, though he said he was not concerned about his availability for Sunday’s crucial game at Minnesota.
Still, Rodgers’ health is just the latest worrisome issue for the Packers’ sluggish offense. A three-game losing skid has dropped Green Bay a game back of the NFC North-leading Vikings.
McCarthy has said that Rodgers has been hit too much over the past three games. Two offensive line starters sat out on Wednesday.
Rodgers has been sacked 22 times this season, with half of those sacks in the last three games.