Tony Romo played well for a half on Monday night. Tony Romo threw five interceptions on Monday night. This is life with the Jason Garrett-era Dallas Cowboys, same as it ever was.
Just three weeks after owner Jerry Jones said the Cowboys pulled off a significant win for the franchise, they suffered one of their most humbling defeats, 34-18 in the house that Jerry built.
Rapoport: Cowboys at crossroads
The blame will go to Romo on an embarrassing five-interception night, but Dallas' problems are systemic. They are annual.
Romo's first interception came when Dez Bryant didn't adjust his route; the Bears returned it for seven points. Romo's second pick came on a dropped pass from Kevin Ogltree. Bryant also killed two drives with third down drops, and dropped another potential long gainer.
Once the Cowboys were down a few scores, Romo did the rest. He tried to keep a play alive and wound up getting hit while throwing the ball. Bears linebacker Lance Briggs returned it for a score.
Romo threw a couple more picks in garbage time to really drive his fantasy owners crazy.
In today's sports culture, we want someone to blame. It goes beyond that in Dallas.
Garrett's offenses have uniformly been undisciplined, turnover-prone units with a lot of penalties. There is always a lot of miscommunication and confusion. That goes back to coaching. The pieces on the offense don't always seem to fit together. It's top-heavy. That goes back to the front office.
For all of Romo's gifts -- he played fantastic for the first three and a half games this season -- he's still prone to the occasional implosion. That goes back to the players.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
