Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will sit out the team's game against the Arizona Cardinals today, ESPN reports.
Romo suffered two fractured transverse process in his back after a sack against the Washington Redskins last week. However, he emphasized that the injury is not related to the disk surgery he underwent last December and will not put his season in jeopardy.
Brandon Weeden will start his first game of the season for Dallas. The backup quarterback took first-team reps in practice throughout the week and completed 4 of 6 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown in relief of Romo against Washington.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport weighed in on the playbook options with Weeden at the helm.
"The actual play sheet is going to be the same," Rapoport said on "NFL Gameday First." "The only things that are going to change with Brandon Weeden, according to a Cowboys coach I spoke with: the playbook is going to be pared down a little bit on third down - it will be a little simpler - and he won't have the full complement of audibles that Tony Romo has at the line of scrimmage."
Weeden was 5-15 in 20 career starts for the Cleveland Browns who selected him in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft. While his numbers with the Browns - 56.5 completion percentage, 25.9 QBR - led the franchise to go in a different direction, he is surrounded by considerably more talent in Dallas and could be a "decent fill-in for Romo," according to ESPN's Tom Carpenter.
The Cardinals rank third in opposing rushing yards per game (77.9) and 32nd in opposing passing yards (302.9). It is possible that Weeden could exploit Arizona's vulnerable secondary and enable Dez Bryant and Jason Witten to have decent days. He does have a big arm that can get the ball downfield.
