After taking a dual-hit from both Matthias Kiwanuka and Justin Trattou during the 2nd quarter of Sunday night’s Cowboys vs. Giants game, Tony Romo remained on the ground and missed the next snap. At first glance, it almost appeared that Cowboys fans (and the rest of the NFL community) would have a chance to delight that someone else would finally be playing quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. Fortunately for Tony Romo (and unfortunately for the rest of us), X-rays after last night’s game show that Romo only suffers from bruised ribs. In talking to Dallas’s 105.3 The Fan, Steven Jones, vice-president of the Cowboys, stated that “We feel optimistic with the tests coming back negative. He’ll be sore but something he’ll be able to play with, as it looks right now.’’

Bruised ribs are an injury that most quarterbacks deal with during their tenure in the NFL. Romo, however, has cause for special concern. During a game against the 49ers in 2011, Romo suffered a broken rib and a punctured lung after being hit by linebacker Ahmad Brooks. Despite the injury, however, Romo was able to come back into the game and lead his team to victory. Perhaps that is why the Cowboys and Romo are so optimistic concerning his return Sunday. There should still be some worry on behalf of the Cowboys, however. Dez Bryant suffered a sprain foot during the 4th quarter of Sunday night’s game, and cornerback Morris Claiborne also suffered an injury to his shoulder.

Despite the criticism constantly surrounding Romo and his injury Sunday night, Romo showcased why he is a starting NFL quarterback. Romo completed 36 of 49 passes for 263 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Fans can only hope that Romo will repeat this performance next week against the Kansas City Chiefs, who saw a spark of life in their first game of the year with a 28-2 victory over Jacksonville, behind the efforts of new quarterback Alex Smith (formerly of the 49’ers) and new head coach Andy Reid (formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles).