Without Romo, most fans assume the season has been lost and it's time to look toward the future. The coaches and players don't see it the same way.
To them, the margin for error has just gotten smaller.
"If you're not motivated to find a way to win, you need to get off the team," linebacker Sean Lee said. "We need to make a move now. We have no more room for errors. We have to find a way to win games, get on a run if we want to save the season.
"We can't have performances like this. There are no excuses. We haven't played winning football, and we have to start doing that now or we're not going to be in the playoffs at all."
Lee added that he's not worried about the character of the team. He expects everyone in the organization to continue preparing like they have all season.
"I think we'll stay together," he said. "We care about each other very much."
Twitter: @JonMachota