Buccaneers 10, Cowboys 6

Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys is shown in this file photo.

A six-game losing streak in the National Football League is usually a death knell for a team’s postseason hopes, but that Dallas Cowboys still have life thanks to the mediocrity of the NFC East. The margin of error, however, continues to shrink for the Cowboys, who will play the first leg of a two-game road trip in Florida with a visit to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Romo has been out with a broken left collarbone. The star quarterback could return next week at Miami.

Opponents know they don’t have to worry about defending the pass, even with weapons like Dez Bryant and Jason Witten, because quarterbacks Matt Cassel and Brandon Weeden before him have done nothing in Tony Romo’s absence. But watching film, what struck me was just how close I was to making a few plays that could have changed the outcome against the Giants.

“It’s in the long-term best interest, if of course he’s ready, to play this week”, Jones said.

“I thought it was a fumble, so I just got on it”, Patmon said. “How you address that loss”. Bryant wanted a pass interference penalty that would not come.

“Obviously to a man, we’re all disappointed”, Cassel said.

“Anything that can get this team to win, anything that I can do on my part to help us out I’m going to do it. It doesn’t matter if it’s throwing a block”.

The Bucs (4-5) drove 56 yards in nine plays for the winning score. On third-and-goal from 5, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound quarterback scrambled up the middle and dived for the end zone, losing the ball before crossing the goal line.

Winston threw two interceptions, both deflecting off his receiver’s hands. This continued a season-long trend of poor play in the fourth quarter. There was the missed flag and the Winston touchdown that was as easy as you’ll ever see.

It was Cassel’s only blemish on the day, as Romo’s replacement was efficient if nothing else, completing 63 percent of his passes for 186 yards.

The seventh straight loss, however, was ridiculously painful and self-inflicted. In the receiving end, Mike Evans had 152 yards in eight receptions while Adam Humphries added 55 yards in five catches.

Place-kicker Dan Bailey made field goals of 42 and 53 yards.

As Cowboys fans, we are familiar with Lovie Smith’s “Tampa-2” defensive scheme, since it’s the system he learned from Monte Kiffin and Rod Marinelli, the men who brought the system to Dallas in 2013.

“I’m always confident”, Winston said after scoring the victor with 54 seconds remaining. Definitely a disappointing loss. His Bills’ defense managed to stop the Jets inside the Buffalo 10 in the final minutes and that was enough to hold off the late push by the Jets.

NOTES: The Cowboys played without LB Sean Lee (concussion) and lost CB Morris Clairborne with a hamstring injury in the first half…. “It can’t be that good …” He will have an MRI exam Monday.