IRVING, Texas — Standing on the sideline, scowling at the pain of a banged-up right elbow and a separated left shoulder, all Brett Favre could do was watch Tony Romo impersonate him.

The kid was good. Too good for Favre and Green Bay.

The Wisconsin native who spent all week denying Favre was his childhood hero sure played a lot like a young No. 4 last night — full of moxie and joy, but needing a bit of a high-wire act to send the Dallas Cowboys past the Packers, 37-27, and into the lead for home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

"When I got out to the field, (I realized) it was pretty neat, the atmosphere," Romo said. "I looked around and was like, 'This is why you want to play sports.' "

Romo threw four touchdown passes to send the Cowboys (11-1) to their sixth straight win that clinched a playoff berth. This victory could become pivotal because it might mean a rematch in the NFC championship would be at Texas Stadium instead of Lambeau Field.

"We just put ourselves in position," Dallas' Terrell Owens said. "We've got ourselves in the driver's seat. Now we've got to stay there."

The Packers (10-2) ended a six-game winning streak and are now essentially two games behind Dallas in the chase for the conference's top spot with only four games left.

The bigger concern for Green Bay is Favre's health.

Favre was hurt on a hit by cornerback Nate Jones in the second quarter. Now, his run of 249 consecutive starts — a record that's about six seasons longer than the next-best by a quarterback — might be in jeopardy, although he has 10 days to heal before the Packers play again, Dec. 9 at home against Oakland.

"I had a similar injury last year," Favre said. "I lost feeling in my fingers and I still have some tingling. But I think I'll be fine."

Backup Aaron Rodgers threw the first touchdown pass of his three-year career, but wasn't able to lead a Favre-esque rally. The Packers cut a 27-10 deficit to 27-24 before Romo rallied the Cowboys.