IRVING, Texas — Tony Romo is not ready to give up on playing Sunday at St. Louis.

According to two sources, the Cowboys' quarterback wants to attempt to practice this week despite breaking his right pinkie in last week's overtime loss at Arizona, with his eye on starting his 33rd consecutive game.

Initially, it was believed Romo would miss four weeks — three games plus the Nov. 9 off week — but he threw passes Wednesday morning to test how it felt three days after the injury.

He did not practice Wednesday, but he has not been ruled out of Sunday's game. Coach Wade Phillips said Romo would make the trip to St. Louis whether he plays or not.

"If (Romo) didn't practice at all, no, he wouldn't play because he broke his pinkie," said Phillips, who said he did not have a report on how Romo's throwing session went.

Sources, however, indicated the session went well.

Brad Johnson took most of the first-team snaps in practice. He would start if Romo misses the game.

"He did a good job," Phillips said of Johnson's practice. "I think everything went smooth. He can manage a game. He can manage a practice. He knows where to go with the football. He sees all that."

The Cowboys have not lost their starting quarterback due to injury since 2004, when Drew Henson replaced Vinny Testaverde for a half on Thanksgiving Day against Chicago.

In addition to the pain caused by throwing, Romo would have to deal with the pounding from taking the snap from center, though that can be mitigated. The Cowboys are working on splints or wraps to protect Romo's finger as much as possible.

According to ESPN, New York Jets quarterback Brett Favre spoke with Romo this week and encouraged him to play if the pain was tolerable. While with Green Bay,

Favre played with a thumb injury during his NFL-record streak of consecutive starts, which has reached 258 games.

Drew Bledsoe, the quarterback Romo replaced in 2006, played four games with a broken right index finger in 1998 with New England.

"It's just the grip of the ball, being able to grip it," Johnson said Monday. "I broke my thumb in '98. I had a hard time gripping the ball. I was kind of knocked out for a little bit. The grip for the quarterback is the most important thing."