Romo agrees Cowboys face "must win" game against Giants

Tony Romo did not use the exact words. But he said he agrees with characterizing Sunday’s showdown against the New York Giants (5-2) as a “must win” game for the Cowboys (3-3) at this stage in the season.

“Honestly, I don’t know what week isn’t,” Romo said when asked about the “must win” scenario. “Show me the game where it’s like, ‘Ah, this is good either way,’ and I’ll probably laugh at you because I haven’t experienced it yet … Being where the Giants are at and where we’re at, I think you would say this game is an important game.”

And the Cowboys must try to win it without linebacker Sean Lee, the team’s leading tackler and defensive leader. Lee suffered a season-ending toe injury in last week’s 19-14 victory over Carolina, elevating the need for the offense to be productive and take some pressure off the Cowboys’ defense in Sunday’s matchup at Cowboys Stadium.

“Yeah, it’s big,” Romo said of Lee’s absence. “Sean has been exceptional for us. He’s played outstanding football, not just this year but last year as well. You just can’t replace a guy like Sean, but guys can step up and rally and each guy needs to be more cognizant of what they have to do at an even higher level. If you get that, you can still help your chances as a football team to win games. It’s obviously a tough blow for us, but we’ll rally around him.”

_ Jimmy Burch