Tony Romo Reveals He's Been Playing Injured

Shortly after beating the Chicago Bears 41-28 on Thursday Night Football, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo revealed to reporters in his postgame press conference that he’s been playing with a broken rib for the last two months.

Romo isn’t exactly sure when the injury occurred, but believes it was either during the Week 3 game against the St. Louis Rams or Week 4 while playing the New Orleans Saints.

It’s been a difficult year for Romo, as far as injuries go, as he suffered two fractures to vertebrate after being kneed in the back during Week 8 against the Washington Redskins. He did not suit up for following week’s game against the Arizona Cardinals which resulted in the Cowboys losing at home 28-17.

Six weeks removed from the injury, Romo says the back is almost healed while the ribs are beginning to feel better. “It’ll be nice when it’s just about the back [surgery] instead of all the other junk,” said Romo.

Romo has a history of playing through injury. In 2011, he suffered a broken rib and punctured lung and stayed in the game despite the severity of his injuries. Prior to the 2014 season, Romo also had back surgery to repair an injury from the 2013 season and has been playing with more protective gear to protect both his back and ribs.

The win over the Bears gives the Cowboys 10 days to prepare for their rematch against the NFC East rival Eagles in Week 15. The two teams met on Thanksgiving where Philadelphia handed the Cowboys a lopsided loss 33-10. “I’ll probably start on Philly a little tonight on the plane,” explained Romo.

Romo admitted he did not take any pain medication prior to the Thanksgiving game against the Eagles, which he professed was a bad decision. He looked much better against the Bears last night, throwing 3 touchdown passes for 205 yards. “I took a [pain-killer] shot this week,” said Romo. “I didn’t last week in the Eagles game.”