Romo leads Cowboys against Lions

ARLINGTON, Texas — Tony Romo’s first playoff game in five years is a second chance for the quarterback on the other side, Detroit’s Matthew Stafford.

Who knows how many more opportunities there will be for Romo, 34, with the Cowboys, who have one playoff win since the last time they were anywhere near the Super Bowl nearly 20 years ago.

“It’s all about winning,” Romo said. “That’s the only reason you play the game. You’re judged as quarterback and coaches on that. That’s what the game is all about. That’s why you have to play great when it counts.”

The Lions go into today’s wild-card game at Stafford’s hometown team with one postseason victory in the Super Bowl era (38-6 over Dallas during the 1991 season) after Stafford lost to New Orleans in his only playoff appearance three years ago.

“I feel like I have been in the middle of it right now so I’m not too worried about it,” said Stafford, who grew up in the Dallas area. “I’m just trying to win every game if I can. You know you have to deal with all that kind of stuff and had some success and some years I’d like to have back, too. It’s an ongoing process.”

“Coach Process” — that’s what Jason Garrett is called sometimes because of his affinity for the word — led the Cowboys to the NFC East title after three straight 8-8 seasons ended with a loss that kept them out of the playoffs and fueled questions about his job security that are gone now.

Romo was the league’s most efficient quarterback with a boost from NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray, who gained 1,845 yards behind a stout offensive line rebuilt through three first-round picks in the past four drafts — tackle Tyron Smith, center Travis Frederick and guard Zack Martin.

Romo predicted in training camp that his best years were ahead of him despite back surgery that ended his 2013 season a game early. And his message didn’t change after another back injury kept him out of one game this year.

“I think more than anything it’s just about playing the right way and being the best version of yourself and figuring out how to create that,” said Romo, who is 1-3 in the playoffs after beating Philadelphia and losing to Minnesota during the 2009 season. “We’ve done a really good job being very efficient and explosive in the pass game and we’ll continue hopefully to do that.”