Tough Luck, Tony

The Carolina Panthers used a national Thanksgiving Day stage to showcase their stifling defense and deal the Dallas Cowboys an almost certainly fatal blow to their already slim playoff hopes.

In a convincing 33-14 victory, the Panthers (11-0) forced quarterback Tony Romo into three first-half interceptions – including two returned for touchdowns – and knocked the veteran out of the game late in the third quarter with another injury to his left clavicle, which he originally broke in Week 2.

In just his second game since returning from the broken collarbone, Romo had no answers for a ball-hawking defense that also took away his most potent offensive weapon, wide receiver Dez Bryant, for almost the entire game.

“The defense set the tempo right off the bat,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. “I really like the way we are playing on the defensive side right now … They are playing at a high level.”

High enough to lead the team to 11-0.

“It’s nice,” Rivera said. “There’s still a lot of things to accomplish …  It’s nice to be in our situation. I’m excited about where we are.”

The Panthers received so little respect leading up to the game that they entered the week as a slight underdog. The Cowboys were viewed as superior to their record because of how Romo was expected to shake off rust and revitalize their offense.

“To come into this game as underdogs is a true sign of disrespect,” Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis said.

The way Carolina played, that didn’t have a chance of happening at AT&T Stadium.

Just how dominating was the Panthers’ defense in the first half? The Cowboys had 98 total yards in the half. The Panthers had 85 interception return yards in the half. They held a commanding 23-3 halftime lead even though the Cowboys’ defense had not surrendered a defensive touchdown.

Bryant was held without a catch in that decisive half, shut down by Panthers cornerback Josh Norman.

Carolina forced Romo into a disastrous Thanksgiving performance for the second straight year. After returning Sunday against the Miami Dolphins after a long layoff, bouncing back four days later to play the Panthers loomed as a daunting task.

And the Panthers, who lead the league in takeaways, needed only three snaps in the game before collecting another. Safety Kurt Coleman intercepted Romo’s pass intended for Jason Witten and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown.

With just under three minutes to play in the first half, Romo threw an ill-advised pass over the middle where standout linebacker Luke Kuechly intercepted and returned it 32 yards for a devastating touchdown before halftime.

On the next offensive snap, Romo threw another interception to Kuechly when trying to complete a deep pass to Witten in tight coverage.

“I played poorly today,” Romo said. “And I put us in a hole. And that was the difference today.”

Romo threw five interceptions in his first six quarters after returning from the collarbone injury.

He was the latest quarterback frazzled by the Panthers, who entered the week fourth in total defense and first in interceptions. The Cowboys’ running game was virtually nonexistent, and significant passing plays were far and few between.

Kuechly and Davis create arguably the fiercest linebacker duo in the league. And the performance of cornerback Josh Norman, who has played at an all-pro level this season, also has been integral, and was Thursday as well.

Romo wasted little time in targeting his best playmaker, Bryant, on the game’s second offensive snap. But Norman broke up the pass as he and Bryant appeared to exchange words.

Romo appeared to have a chance at two long completions to Bryant in the first half, but the quarterback threw errant passes on both attempts. Bryant didn’t catch his first pass until the third quarter and finished with just two catches for 26 yards.

“Josh (Norman) is really playing well,” Rivera said. “When they did try to go up top josh put himself in really good position.”

The play that punctuated Carolina’s defensive effort was Davis’ sack on Romo, who landed squarely on his left shoulder.

Romo refused to speculate on the injury but said it felt “similar” to what it felt like when he broke the left clavicle the first time.

“You’re going to the ground,” said Romo, who will have more tests on Friday. “You can hear something happen. You’re just disappointed, frustrated. Just disappointing.”

The Panthers are now closing in on home-field advantage in the NFC. In their remaining five games, they only play one team with a winning record – the Atlanta Falcons (6-4) twice.

As the Cowboys can attest, overcoming the Panthers’ defense is a tall order for any team.