IRVING, Texas — If the Giants are counting on Tony Romo to make one of his patented late-game turnovers Sunday, they’re probably going to be out of luck.
The Cowboys might be a familiar 5-5 heading into their NFC East showdown with Big Blue at MetLife Stadium this weekend, but that typical Dallas mediocrity can’t be blamed on crucial mistakes by their lightning-rod quarterback this time around.
Romo largely has avoided back-breaking errors this season and will face the Giants with just nine turnovers (six interceptions and three fumbles) through Dallas’ first 10 games.
That’s in stark contrast to last season, when he was intercepted 19 times and lost six fumbles in 16 starts, and is the result of a concerted effort by both Romo and new Cowboys play-caller Bill Callahan to keep the quarterback’s notorious gambling ways in check.
“Gosh, if we had the year like we did last year [with the 25 turnovers], boy that would have been a killer,” Callahan, the former Jets offensive line coach, said this week of Romo. “What’s really saved us right now is we’re not really turning the ball over on offense.”
Romo has been productive, too, throwing 21 touchdown passes — third-most in the NFL — and recording a touchdown throw in 23 consecutive games dating to last season.
Mostly as a result of Romo’s newfound carefulness, the Cowboys have committed just 11 turnovers as a team this season — second-fewest in the NFL behind the Chiefs’ nine.
Callahan has stressed protecting the ball since the first day of training camp, and Romo has taken that to heart in his eighth season as the Cowboys’ starter. He hasn’t tried to force as many throws as he often did in the past, and Romo has shown more pocket awareness.
Even the glaring mistakes — notably an interception late in the Cowboys’ wild, 51-48 home loss to the Broncos in Week 5 — haven’t merited the usual intense criticism, considering Romo also threw for a career-high 506 yards and five touchdowns that day.
“Just good decision-making,” Romo said this week when asked to explain his big reduction in mistakes. “I’m pretty accurate with the ball and where I want to go [with it], and I’m just going out there and making the right choices and giving our team a chance.”
The only thing that has suffered as the season has gone along is Romo’s accuracy. He completed 70 percent of his passes in each of the first four games (with eight TDs and just one interception) but has completed less than 60 percent of his passes in three of the past four contests.
Also a concern has been Romo’s inability to get the ball on a regular basis to No. 1 wideout Dez Bryant, an issue that fueled Bryant’s famous sideline tirades in a crushing, last-second road loss to the Lions in Week 8.
But that’s essentially a damned-if-he-does scenario for Romo, considering the root of his interception woes in the past was forcing the ball into situations that weren’t there.
Though the Cowboys are currently stuck at .500, coach Jason Garrett likes his team’s chances the rest of the way if Romo continues to be mostly mistake-free.
“He hasn’t been hurried that much, so a lot of those interceptions have gone away a little bit,” Garrett said this week. “Tony’s done a really good job making the right decisions and throwing the ball to the right guy, reading the coverages out, and really aggressively taking what the defense is giving him.
“That’s a good thing for our football team.”