Dallas / Fort Worth Sports

FORT WORTH (CBS 11 News / AP) ― Dallas Cowboys star quarterback Tony Romo will be sidelined for the next month with a broken pinkie finger on his throwing hand.

Romo injured the finger on Sunday, during the first play of overtime in the team's 30-24 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. It was the first time in NFL history that a game ended in overtime after a blocked punt was returned for a touchdown.

"We don't know how long he'll be out, it depends on how fast that heals," head coach Wade Phillips said in a Monday news conference. "I'd say week-to-week, depending on how quickly he heals. Different people heal differently."

Phillips added that Romo will not undergo surgery to repair the fractured finger.

Romo threw for 321 yards and three touchdown passes during the Sunday afternoon game, including a 55-yard scoring play connecting with Patrick Crayton and a 70-yard scoring play connecting with Marion Barber.

But Romo also fumbled twice, was sacked three times, got knocked down 19 times and missed three straight passes at the start of overtime. Although, it was the first time in the last nine games that he did not throw an interception.

"Obviously, he had trouble throwing the ball that last series in overtime," Phillips said.

The Cowboys quarterback walked off the field after the game with his hand wrapped up heavily.

The Sunday game was only Romo's 32nd start and 14th career 300-yard passing game, a new team record. Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman had 13 300-yard games in 165 starts.

Romo has been no stranger to injuries this season. The quarterback was sandwiched between two 300-pound players during a September 7 game in Cleveland. Romo got up from the tackle with blood coming out from his chinstrap. Before getting patched up, he completed a 19-yard pass that led to a touchdown. The Cowboys won that game 28-10.

Romo ended up needing 13 stitches to close up his chin.

In the same quarter, Romo's left middle finger was injured, though x-rays did not show a break.

In the locker room, Romo has developed a reputation as someone who does not like to talk about his injuries.

After the Cleveland game, commenting on his desire to look past injuries and stay on the field, Romo said, "It's more fun to play than not play. So you play."

Based on the Cowboys schedule, a four week hiatus would put Romo back on the field November 23 against the San Francisco 49ers.

Romo is set to be absent for some critical games, including the November 2 match against the defending NFL champion New York Giants and the November 16 rematch against the Washington Redskins. The Redskins won the last meeting 26-24.

It was two years ago this month that Tony Romo replaced Drew Bledsoe as the Dallas Cowboys' starting quarterback.

This injury leaves Brad Johnson, a 17 year NFL veteran, in the starting quarterback position for the next month. Johnson won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2002/2003 season, but has not started an NFL game since 2006 with the Minnesota Vikings.

Johnson has completed 2,627 of 4,248 career passes for 28,627 total yards, 164 touchdowns and 117 interceptions. But with the Cowboys, Johnson has only gone 7-for-11 for 79 yards.

Neither Romo nor Johnson were available for comment on Monday, when the team's locker room was opened up for reporters. However, some of Romo's teammates offered their thoughts.

Linebacker Greg Ellis was stunned upon hearing of Romo's injury and only mustered up a "Wow!" But he had more to say about Johnson. "It's going to be Brad to go in there and prove that he's not just here for the ride, he's part of this thing," Ellis said. "Every opportunity I've seen Brad step in on other teams, he's able to hold it down and get it done."

Bradie James added that the team would have to look toward each other for support. "We've got to play relentless football now without our signal caller, our leader, our captain on the offensive side," he said. "That's the thing about a season, you never know what can happen. You hope you are playing some real good ball when things go down, so here we are and now we've got to make some adjustments and move on."

Wide receiver Terrell Owens, on the other hand, only offered up a "Today is not Wednesday," referring to the day he routinely talks to reporters.

Romo's fractured finger was not the only injury sustained on the team's visit to Arizona. Rookie running back Felix Jones strained his hamstring and punter Mat McBriar was carted off the field after the game's final play. Both players were having MRIs on Monday. The team does not yet know the extent of those injuries.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Popular Slideshows On CBS11TV.COM

• Recent Celebrity Deaths
• Michael Jackson Remembered
• Celebrities Turning 40 In 2009
• Paul McCartney Plays Broadway
• AskMen's Top 99 Women Of 2009
• In To Be Out: Gay Celebrities
• Primetime Emmy Nominations 2009
• Cowboys Stadium Construction
• 'One Giant Leap' 40 Years Later
• Collection Of Strange Photos