George: 'Inspirational' Tony Romo changed everything in fourth quarter

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The return of Tony Romo did much more than help the Cowboys' passing game Sunday.

With Romo under center for the first time since fracturing his collarbone two months ago, the Cowboys finally found a way to close out a game.

The Cowboys went 0-7 without Romo, and five of the losses came down to the final possession. Romo returned to face Miami -- and poof, just like that, the Cowboys looked like the team that dominated fourth quarters during a 12-4 season in 2014.

Darren McFadden kept the chains moving late in the fourth quarter when Romo handed him the ball 10 times in an 11-play drive that burned off 5:25 of clock with the Cowboys up by 10.

Even the defense was uplifted by Romo's return. For the first time this season, the Cowboys sacked the quarterback in the fourth quarter.

Owner Jerry Jones was asked what made the difference in the fourth quarter this time around for the Cowboys.

"It was Tony," Jones said without hesitating. "He was inspirational. He opened up the playbook for us. We needed Tony and the threat of Tony back there to get that running game going, and it did."

Romo has thrived in the fourth quarter in his career. He has the second-highest fourth-quarter quarterback rating all time at 102.4, trailing only Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers.

During their seven-game losing streak without Romo, the Cowboys were outscored 73-30 in the fourth quarter and overtime. On Sunday, Dallas outscored Miami 10-0 in the fourth.

"Defensively, we got off the field a couple of times in the fourth quarter, and I thought our offense with that drive at the end, convert first down after first down, running that ball downhill," Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee said. "Those two things are why we were able to win that game, something we haven't done through that stretch."

The Cowboys have struggled to run the football late in games all season. Before Sunday, they had rushed for only one first down in the fourth quarter or overtime when leading or with the game tied. They did that 14 times in the same situation last year.

But McFadden had three first-down runs in the Cowboys' final drive with Dallas ahead by 10, including a 15-yarder on third-and-14 with 5 minutes to play.

McFadden had three runs in the fourth quarter against Miami of 10 or more yards. He only had two double-digit runs in the fourth quarter during the Cowboys' first nine games.

"It was great to see him at the end of the ballgame running downhill," coach Jason Garrett said, "and really doing a great job finishing the game for us."

The Cowboys' defense finally came alive in the fourth quarter as well against the Dolphins.

Coming into Sunday, the Cowboys were the only team in the NFL without a sack after the third quarter.

The Cowboys had played 189 defensive snaps in the fourth quarter and overtime this season -- including 95 of those on pass attempts -- without a sack before Jack Crawford broke the ice.

Crawford sacked Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill for an 11-yard loss midway through the fourth quarter after the Cowboys' secondary did a great job in coverage to extend the play.

That seemed to open the dam for the Cowboys. Greg Hardy and David Irving combined on a sack of Tannehill to start Miami's final possession. DeMarcus Lawrence finished things by sacking Tannehill for a 22-yard loss as the clock ran out.

The Dolphins produced 3 total yards and one first down on 11 fourth-quarter plays.

"We [had been] playing [with] fatigue in the fourth quarter and things of that nature," Cowboys defensive end Jeremy Mincey said. "Now that we got the offense to hold the ball and keep the clock moving ... it makes a difference.

"Tony controls the clock, and the psyche and morale of the team is completely different. You're walking in confident."

And, finally, walking away a winner.