Coming off his team’s tough loss last week against the Vikings, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made it clear he wasn’t interested in removing head coach Wade Phillips from his job in the middle of the season.

But after Dallas was dominated by their hated rivals from New York in almost every facet of the game, and lost quarterback Tony Romo in the process, there’s little doubt that Jones will began considering a change at the top of his coaching staff at the very least.

Romo is expected to miss four weeks at the very least, while he recovers from the broken clavicle he suffered to his non-throwing shoulder, and it’s possible that he’ll be off the field for much longer than that, depending on how severe the injury is. A more realistic prognosis would be six to eight weeks, making it likely that the Cowboys will be finished long before Romo returns to the field.

Backup quarterback Jon Kitna now has to take the reins of a team that’s clearly in disarray, and unfortunately for Phillips, the ultimate blame for this disastrous season will be laid at his feet. Whether Jones decides to drop the axe now or later is anyone’s best guess, but it’s clear that Phillips doesn’t have it what it takes to win with this team and with Romo out, there’s no better time to make the switch than right now.

While firing Phillips now may not change the fortunes of the Cowboys this year, it will send a message loud and clear to the players that Jones and the front office will not tolerate repeat failure with a team that has as much if not more talent than most teams in the league. And that just might be enough to motivate this team into making a second half run towards the post-season in what’s shaping up to be an extremely weak NFC this year.

Other posts you may enjoy:

1. Jones reconsidering decision to keep Phillips
2. Romo to miss 6-8 weeks with broken clavicle
3. All signs point to Phillips exit in Dallas
4. Cowboys still holding out hope for Romo return
5. Vikings finally pull the plug on Childress