Romo,

Tony Romo threw three touchdown passes and ran for a fourth score — all in the first half — and the visiting Dallas Cowboys ended a two-game losing streak with a 31-15 victory Saturday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The result gave the Cowboys (8-6) a half-game lead over the New York Giants, who host the Washington Redskins on Sunday, in the battle for first place in the NFC East. The Buccaneers (4-10), meanwhile, lost their eighth consecutive game.

Romo threw touchdown passes of eight yards to Miles Austin and eight yards to Dez Bryant in the first quarter, then tossed a nine-yard scoring pass to Laurent Robinson and scored on a one-yard run in the second.

The Cowboys led 28-0 at the half and coasted the rest of the way, with the Bucca-neers managing only 190 yards of offense.

Big Ben still questionable

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (high sprain of left ankle) practiced for the second consecutive day, but he remains questionable for the team's game Monday against the San Francisco 49ers. A teammate said Roethlisberger didn't move around much during practice but had no problem throwing the ball.

Bills sign former Bears DL

The Buffalo Bills signed former Bears defensive lineman Jarron Gilbert to an unspecified contract. Gilbert was the Bears' third-round pick in the 2009 draft and played in four games for them that season before being released before the 2010 season.

Sun-Times wires