Tony Romo delivers again in big spot for Cowboys

Tony Romo continues to re-write his story.

The Cowboys quarterback threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Williams with 2:32 to play on Sunday, the go-ahead score in a wild 24-20 win over the Lions in Arlington. This game will be remembered for the picked-up penalty flag that wiped out a Cowboys pass interference call in the fourth quarter, but Romo's performance was vital, both to the Cowboys and his legacy in Dallas.

The oft-maligned quarterback shed more demons and has now thrown 14 touchdowns against just one interception in December and January. Romo took some wicked shots early in the game as Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin successfully schemed Detroit's pass rush into Romo's grill.

Romo didn't crumble, however, and he again avoided the killer turnover that's haunted him in big games in the past. His accuracy improved as the game went on, typified by his clutch 21-yard completion to old friend Jason Witten on a fourth-and-6 with six minutes to play.

Romo explained after the game that he learned from a playoff loss to the Vikings, a game in which Dallas fell behind early and Romo attempted to force the issue. Romo took a calmer approach after the Lions took a 14-0 lead in the first half.

"I didn't do a good enough job of understanding that the game wasn't over early," Romo said of the 34-3 loss to the Vikings in January 2010. "When I say that I mean, just keeping your poise and understanding if you don't give them the ball -- you know, I threw more balls away, low, I guess, feet, just because I wasn't for sure and we weren't gonna make the play and it was gonna be under duress and not get enough on it.

"And I did that and I did it more than any just because it felt like if we didn't give them the ball it could never run away, it couldn't get out by enough points to put it away. So you gotta play smart, you want to move the chains, you want to score, but you also have to understand just keep yourself in it."

It's just the second playoff win in Romo's career, and the first since that 2009 season. Now it gets very interesting, as Dallas heads to Green Bay for a showdown with the Packers.

The stakes are far greater now, but the Cowboys and their fans have every reason to believe Romo will rise to the challenge. The old story has a new twist.

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