Jessica Simpson knows when she’s not wanted.

The starlet was an apparent no-show at Saturday’s Dallas Cowboys game against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C. – a week after fans criticized her presence as a distraction to her boyfriend and Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.

Romo, 27, had a great game this time, rebounding from his Dec. 16 performance, when Simpson, in a pink Cowboys jersey, watched from a luxury box.

After the 20-13 win over the Panthers, Romo told reporters that Simpson, 27, was indeed watching the game – and even hinted that she may have been in attendance.

“I know she saw all of that tonight,” Romo said after the game, when asked if Simpson had seen fans wearing masks of her face. “She was at the game tonight, so I don’t know.”

He added, “I don’t talk about my personal life.”

After Romo endured the worst game of his professional career last week, fans of opposing teams started the Web site RuinRomo.com, which offers a Simpson mask that visitors can download, print and wear to games in an effort to jinx the star quarterback.

This week, Romo told the NFL Network that Simpson was bothered by the negative attention.

“I don’t care how the perception is of me,” Romo said. “But it hurts me when it hurts people that are close to me . . . That’s part of being in the public eye.”