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Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo to play for the first time this season, reports say

Dallas quarterback Tony Romo warms up before a game against Washington Nov. 24.
(Roger Steinman / Associated Press)
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Looks like Tony Romo will see the field this season after all.

The former No. 1 Dallas Cowboys quarterback — who was injured his back during the preseason, then lost his starting job to red-hot rookie Dak Prescott — will play at some point Sunday during the team’s regular-season finale, according to multiple media reports.

ESPN was first to report the news.

With Romo unable to play the first half of the season, Prescott led the Cowboys to an 8-1 record — a start so good that Dallas opted to stick with the rookie and relegate longtime starter Romo to backup duty.

“He has earned the right to be our quarterback,” Romo said of Prescott at the time. “As hard as that is for me to say, he’s earned that right. He has guided our team to an 8-1 record and that’s hard to do. If you think for a second I don’t want to be out there, then you probably never felt the pure ecstasy of competing and winning.”

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Now the Cowboys are 13-2 and have locked up the top seed in the NFC, rendering Sunday’s game against Philadelphia meaningless. With a chance to set the all-time rookie record for wins in a season, Prescott is still expected to start.

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported that Romo has successfully lobbied to play a series or two before third-stringer Mark Sanchez takes over.

Romo had been the Cowboys’ starter since 2006. The four-time Pro Bowler is 78-49 and has completed 65.3% of his passes for 34,154 yards with 247 touchdowns and 117 interceptions.

charles.schilken@latimes.com

Twitter: @chewkiii

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