Tony Romo back, but will it matter?

IRVING, Tex. -- The reeling Dallas Cowboys should be done.

They ride into this week on a seven-game losing streak, their longest since 1989. They reside alone at the bottom of the NFC East, with their two victories tied for the fewest in the NFL. In fact, they stand a better chance of earning the No. 1 overall pick than they do of getting into the playoffs.

Yet, the Cowboys are just 2 1/2 games out in the dreadful NFC East and they remain hopeful of a miracle finish because of the return of quarterback Tony Romo.

"I think he can energize us," tight end Jason Witten said. "There's no question he's an elite player, and when you play that position, he does a lot of dynamic things with the ball. But we still have to get better at things, correcting things that are keeping us from winning and not just expect him to be able to overcome those things.

"I know we've lost seven in a row, so I don't think we're being unrealistic with where we are, but I do think in a lot of ways we've played some good football. We just have to do it collectively -- offensively, defensively, special teams -- and be able to do it at critical times in the game."

The Cowboys will activate Romo from injured reserve/designated to return later this week. He fractured his left collarbone in the Week 2 victory over the Eagles, and the bone has fully healed. He started practicing two weeks ago.

Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said Romo will continue his practice schedule from last year, working on strength and conditioning Wednesday instead of throwing.

Garrett, though, cautioned that Romo's return doesn't automatically cure the team's ills.

"Certainly when you bring a player like Tony Romo back in, there's an expectation he's going to make a positive difference for your team," Garrett said. "Just like anytime you lose a starter and he comes back, these guys start for a reason. But if we feel like just because Tony is back, everything is good, that's the wrong approach. We have to get better in all three areas. We have to coach better; we have to play better. All three phases of our football team have to play better, and we think Tony can help us do that."

The Cowboys remain alive because of losses by Philadelphia and the Giants on Sunday. The Giants lead the division at 5-5, with the Eagles and the Redskins at 4-5. The NFC East has gone 8-15 outside of the division this season.

"I think the biggest thing we have to do is focus on ourselves," Garrett said. "We don't want to get distracted by what's going on in our division. That certainly gives us an opportunity. But the biggest thing we've got to do is come back to work tomorrow, clean up the game, get better and get ready for the challenge this week against Miami."

REPORT CARD VS. BUCCANEERS

--PASSING OFFENSE: F. Matt Cassel passed for 186 yards, threw an interception and had a passer rating of 66.8. It's the second time in four starts that he didn't lead the Cowboys to a touchdown. Dez Bryant had five catches for 45 yards but he had two drops, including a critical one on third-and-1 in the fourth quarter.

--RUSHING OFFENSE: F. Darren McFadden rushed for 32 yards on 17 carries. The Cowboys' running game was completely shut down for the first time in three weeks. Perhaps the work load has taken its toll McFadden, who has never had this many touches in consecutive weeks.

--RUN DEFENSE: B. The Cowboys held Doug Martin to 63 yards on 18 carries and gave up just 81 yards on the ground total. Safety Barry Church led the way with 11 tackles. Rolando McClain had 8 tackles.

--PASS DEFENSE: C -- The Cowboys recorded two interceptions but ultimately gave up 264 yards passing to Jameis Winston and eight catches for 126 yards to Mike Evans. Morris Claiborne, Brandon Carr and Jeff Heath were flagged for defensive holding, illegal contact and pass interference penalties.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: D. Dan Bailey made two field goals but missed a 48-yarder, ending a streak of 21 straight dating back to last season. Chris Jones had a disappointing 38-yard punt that set up the Bucs' final touchdown drive.

--COACHING: F. The Cowboys have lost seven straight games under Jason Garrett. The Cowboys did not find a way to make Dez Bryant an impact player. The defense doesn't get stops when it matters most.