IRVING, Texas -- The pain was too great and the treatments, including an epidural for a herniated disk in his back, didn't help Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo as he underwent back surgery Friday morning and was placed on injured reserve, officially ending his season.

Coach Jason Garrett said Romo was emotional after realizing he needed surgery and wouldn't be able to play in Sunday's all-important regular-season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles.

"He's devastated," Garrett said. "He puts a lot into this."

Kyle Orton will start for the Cowboys against the Eagles. The winner will earn the NFC East title and a trip to the playoffs, while the season will come to an end for the loser.

"We prepared good this week, especially today," wide receiver Dez Bryant said. "We're going to lay it all on the line and we're going to win this one for Tony. Everybody has to raise their game up just a little bit more."

Romo suffered the injury in the Week 16 game against the Washington Redskins.

"This was the right decision for him, and this is the right decision for our organization," Garrett said of Romo. "He started his road to recovery, and he'll be back sooner rather than later."

Cowboys officials say this surgery is unrelated to a procedure he had in the spring to remove a cyst, and team owner Jerry Jones said Romo should be ready for organized team activities in the spring.

"One of the pluses for having had it done as early as [Friday] morning is that it would really contribute to him being able to get right when it comes time for the team to be in OTAs," Jones said on KRLD-FM. "The OTAs are what we call the equivalent of our spring practice, so we would anticipate him being right on time there. We'll see how it goes."

Cowboys officials won't say what type of surgery Romo had, but sources told ESPN that it was to repair a herniated disk.