Dallas Cowboys: Can Brandon Weeden keep the winning?

By Stephen Forsha | Sep 21, 2015

Though the Dallas Cowboys are undefeated in the standings after the first two weeks with wins over the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles, the losses that came in those wins are heartbreaking and leave a lot of uncertainty for the remainder of the season.

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Sunday saw the Cowboys lose quarterback Tony Romo with a broken left clavicle, the second time in his career he’s suffered that injury after he was hit by an Eagles defender. In Week 1, the Cowboys lost Dez Bryant for at least a couple months, and we can’t forget this preseason Dallas lost Orlando Scandrick, the leader of the defensive backfield for the season.

What could have gone wrong has basically gone wrong for the defending NFC East champions through the first two weeks of the season.

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Without Romo, the Cowboys have to lean on Brandon Weeden to keep things steady for a little while … OK, he might have to be a miracle worker because we all do realize the Cowboys will play the Atlanta Falcons next Sunday without the starting quarterback, running back and the No. 1 receiver from the ’14 team that won the NFC East title last year.

Romo this season was 54-of-72 for 551 yards. He had three touchdown passes and two interceptions before his injury against Philadelphia. Romo was averaging 7.7 yards per completion this season.

Before being injured, Romo was 18-of-27 for 195 yards against the Eagles. He was sacked three times Sunday.

The 31-year-old Weeden, who was forced to play in the second half, went 7-of-7 for 73 yards (10.4 yards per completion), with a QB Rating of 149.7 against the Eagles. He even managed to run with the football, having seven yards on three carries.

Weeden’s touchdown pass went to Terrance Williams for 42 yards. Remember, Williams has to take over the No. 1 receiver’s role in the absence of Bryant following his foot surgery.

In what is his fourth season in the NFL since being drafted in the first round, this will be Weeden’s first go-round as a starter in the league since holding that spot in Cleveland.

While in Cleveland, Weeden started 20 games (23 total games played), where he was 5-15 as a starter. In those games, he completed 55.9 percent of his passes, throwing for 5,116 yards with 23 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.

Weeden held a 71.8 quarterback rating with the Browns, but he was usually under a lot of pressure with the Browns as he was sacked 55 times in those two seasons, so it really isn’t completely fair to judge Weeden for how everything went down in Cleveland. They don’t have the best history of grooming a quarterback since their return to the NFL.

Since joining the Cowboys as a backup last season, Weeden has made one start (played in six total games), a start he lost against the Arizona Cardinals. In that game, he went 18-of-33 for 183 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions with a better offense around him than what he’ll have this Sunday when the Cowboys face the Falcons.

Rob Phillips of DallasCowboys.com quoted Weeden about being the new starting signal caller for “America’s Team” and on Romo’s injury:

"“It’s a tough situation. I hate it for Tony,” Weeden said. “He works his tail off. He’s got a really good support team around him, and he was obviously excited about what we had going here. It’s a tough situation to come into the game like that, but that’s my role on this team.”"

For the next couple months (at least), the way things turn out can’t all be put on the Cowboys’ new starting quarterback, because let’s face it, the way the offense played Sunday before Romo’s injury wasn’t that great to begin with.

Sep 20, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) on the field after game against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. Romo left the game with an injury. The Cowboys defeated the Eagles, 20-10. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Weeden will have to play better than he’s ever had since joining the NFL, but on the other hand, the Cowboys’ rushing game, offensive line play, and the play of what is left of the offense will have to improve as well if they want to keep the ship from sinking, so to speak, without Romo and Bryant.

I would be lying to say I’m not worried about the next few weeks when it comes to the offense of the Cowboys, because it doesn’t matter who they face in today’s NFL … anything can happen. I’m not saying they have to win every game without Romo and Bryant because that’s not going to occur, but after sleeping on it, the quarterback position could be a lot worse than having Weeden as a backup to replace Romo.

Nobody the Cowboys brought in this past offseason was able to challenge or overtake Weeden as the primary backup for Romo and the Cowboys, and now it will be time for the former 22nd overall pick of the ’12 NFL Draft to show his talent.

If he and the rest of the offense are able to keep a semblance of a productive football team until the regular cast of characters return, the Oklahoma State product will give the Cowboys a real chance to defend their NFC title.

Do I believe this will be a total disaster by having Weeden as the starting signal caller? No. Do I believe this will be a smooth ride for all involved? No, again.

What I do believe is all Cowboys fans will be forced to be patient and realistic with the current cast the Cowboys have on offense and hope for the best when it comes to Weeden and his abilities on the football field.

Luckily for him, the offensive line is better than what we all watched on Sunday against the Eagles, and the running backs must produce more to give Weeden, and the rest of the team, a fair chance.

As former wide receiver Terrell Owens was famous for saying, “Get your popcorn ready.” The Cowboys are in for a must-see journey for the next couple months.

Next: After Further Thought Week 2 Late Edition

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