Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett has confirmed that the club have placed quarterback Tony Romo on their injured reserve list.

Romo sustained a back injury in his side's win over the Washington Redskins last Sunday and has been forced to undergo an operation, which has ended his season.

"We spent the week exhausting all options regarding Tony's situation, treatment, rehab all the different things. We consulted a lot of different people on this," Garrett told reporters.

"We just felt like, as we discussed it, as yesterday wore on, that this was the best decision for him and our organization moving forward. We felt like it was better to have this done sooner rather than later."

Backup quarterback Kyle Orton will start in his side's NFC East showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.