Cowboys have critical decision to make during the next few days
In the NFL, primetime games will always get fans excited. This is why Dallas Cowboys fans have to feel some level of hype – especially following a 40-point performance – about Thursday's night game against the Tennessee Titans. A late December showdown between one team that has secured a spot in the playoffs (Dallas) and […]
In the NFL, primetime games will always get fans excited. This is why Dallas Cowboys fans have to feel some level of hype – especially following a 40-point performance – about Thursday's night game against the Tennessee Titans.
A late December showdown between one team that has secured a spot in the playoffs (Dallas) and another fighting for a division title even with a 7-8 record (Tennessee) will do that.
It should be fun, right? Well… not entirely.
On the one hand, the Cowboys will likely play backup quarterback Malik Willis as Ryan Tannehill recovers from ankle surgery. National reports have suggested Tannehill's goal is to return in Week 18.
While Willis is an exciting, athletic prospect, he isn't NFL-ready yet and was more of a developmental draft pick for the Titans. The Cowboys are 9.5-point road favorites at the moment.
Not only will the Titans be down one starting quarterback, but they also have nothing at stake against the Cowboys. No, really… literally nothing.
Their playoff outlook will be solely defined by whatever happens in Week 18. The Jaguars and the Titans will fight for the division then. That's a guarantee regardless of what happens in Week 17.
Winning or losing against the Cowboys means nothing to the Titans. Does that mean a rest day is on the way for Derrick Henry and other key starters? Not necessarily but with this being a short week, you can definitely make the argument they have to rest some of their key players starting with the guy that's at 319 rush attempts for the season.
But that's not all…
Cowboys have a similar decision to make, too.
Here's a fun question. After beating the Eagles, do the Cowboys really have a shot at winning the NFC East? Mathematically, yes. Realistically, maybe not. Here's how FiveThirtyEight's playoff simulator grades each team's chances of winning the division:
- Cowboys: 3%
- Eagles: 97%
Oh.
The Eagles need one more win to secure the division and the #1 NFC seed and while Jalen Hurts missed the game against the Cowboys on Saturday, chances are he'll be ready to go before the season ends to face the New Orleans Saints and/or the New York Giants. The Eagles are over a touchdown favorite against each of those teams right now.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys have secured the 5th seed in the conference as a worst-case scenario.
Do the Cowboys make a decision to rest starters with pretty much nothing in the line?
Take Micah Parsons, for instance. Sure, you'd have a tough time convincing the hungry young player to take a week off but he's been missing some juice. If the coaching staff believes that's because of season fatigue or maybe a nagging injury, why wouldn't you rest him? Pure pride and a shot at DPOY that's slowly fading away?
The same goes for several other players who you could rest or at the very least manage their workloads.
Mike McCarthy's coaching staff has preached workload management since he took over in 2020. This will be a very important decision for Dallas as the end of the regular season nears.
Featured image via Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
