Romo Throws at Practice Thursday

Irving, TX (Sports Network) – Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was back at practice Thursday and was throwing despite a broken pinkie finger that was originally expected to keep him sidelined for a month.

Romo wants to play Sunday against the St. Louis Rams, less than a week after suffering the injury during overtime of a game against Arizona. He has had a splint placed on his right hand.

"He threw the ball pretty well," Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said following Thursday’s practice. "A quarterback just throwing the football isn’t all they do. I’m not going to count him out as far as the game is concerned."

Brad Johnson took most of the reps with the first-team offense on Thursday and will get the nod for Sunday’s game if Romo is unable to play. The 40-year-old Johnson last started an NFL game on December 17, 2006 with Minnesota.

Phillips added that it would probably be a game-time decision on who starts against the Rams.

"We’ll look at him again tomorrow and see where we are," Phillips stated. "There’s a lot of things involved in this. We’ll discuss it and analyze the situation and make a decision."

Romo was hurt on the first play of overtime in Sunday’s 30-24 setback against the Cardinals, as he was stripped of the football by Chike Okeafor during a scramble. Romo stayed on the field for what turned out to be the final two offensive plays of the game — both incomplete passes — as the Cowboys lost on a blocked punt returned for a touchdown.

The Cowboys have lost two of their last three games and own a record of 4-2, tied for second in the NFC East with the Washington Redskins.

Romo completed 24-of-39 passes for 321 yards with three touchdowns in Sunday’s game. He was sacked three times and left the stadium after the contest with his right hand heavily iced and wrapped.

In six games this season, Romo has completed 64.0 percent of his passes for 1,689 yards with 14 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has a quarterback rating of 103.5 — second-best in the NFC.