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Tony Romo’s throwing hand isn’t broken.

That is the most important thing that can be taken away from today’s 20-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, as the Cowboys fell to 8-7 on the season. On the Cowboys first offensive possession, Jason Babin looped into the middle on third down and Romo’s throwing motion took his right hand directly into the crown of Babin’s helmet; ending the quarterback’s day. The X-rays were negative, and Romo would return to the sideline ready to re-enter the contest, but an early victory by the Giants rendered the final score for this contest unimportant.

Of course, just because the hand isn’t broken, does not mean that Dallas is out of the woods. Romo’s hand was visibly swollen and although it appeared that he could have tried to return, we probably won’t know for a few days whether he will enter the live-or-die Week 17 matchup at the Giants able to make all his throws with velocity.

That Week 17 rematch will be for all the 9-7 marbles. The winner will go on to the tournament, the loser will enter the off-season with more questions than answers, and if it’s the Cowboys a second-consecutive third-place NFC East finish. An NFC East that will crown an under-10 win champion for the first time since the 1960′s. Storylines of an entire season will be written based off the results of one game.

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