Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Tony Romo's first fourth-quarter interception was the result of the quarterback's decision not to handoff the football. After throwing two costly interceptions in the final minutes of the Packers game, Romo is once again facing criticism for choking when it matters most.
The Cowboys' December woes continued on Sunday after giving up a 23-point lead against the Green Bay Packers.
Trailing 36-31 in the fourth quarter, Packers cornerback Sam Shields intercepted an underthrown pass to Miles Austin. The Packers' offense then marched down the field and took the lead with a one-yard rushing touchdown by rookie running back Eddie Lacy.
Dallas had another chance, but a second interception - this time because of a miscommunication with receiver Cole Beasley, according to NFL.com - sealed the game for Green Bay.
Following the 37-36 loss to the Packers, the brunt of the criticism was directed to why Dallas chose not to run the ball in the final minutes of the game with a 36-31 lead. Garrett insisted a run play with the option to throw had been called on the play that led to Romo's first interception.
"We call that a 'smoke' or a 'flash,'" Garrett said after the game, via NFL.com. "That's something we have accompanying some runs if he gets a bad look. That's what happened on the interception. It was a run call that he threw the ball on. ...
"I think he'll be the first one to tell you he probably should have run the ball in that situation."
Romo acknowledged the play was a run play with a pass option built into it. He said he chose to throw it because of the look Green Bay's defense gave him; he admitted it was the wrong choice.
"That's a time, when I look back now, we should have run the ball because I threw an interception," Romo said, via the Star Telegram. "... They overloaded the side we were going to run the ball to, and I ended up throwing to the man who was 1-on-1. The defense did a really good job of coming in on me instead of following the tackle down.
"It was my fault to, obviously, put the ball in a position where the defense could make a play."
Romo has a history of committing turnovers late in games. Dallas (7-7) has now dropped two straight games this month, adding to the team's reputation for having an inability to win in December and January.
