Dallas Cowboys: Risking Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott Not Worth It
The Dallas Cowboys have the No. 1 seed locked up and eyes on a Super Bowl, but they must be wise in how they treat their starters.
The Dallas Cowboys are indeed one of the hottest teams playing in the NFL right now. While the New York Giants might have their number, they have played some incredible football all season long and could very well take the league by storm in the NFL Playoffs.
As the Cowboys prepare for their Week 16 matchup at home against the Detroit Lions, they need to think about the future and not a meaningless game. This isn’t about going 13-2 to end the regular season on a high note. It’s all about doing what is right in the context of a achieving bigger goals and sitting your key players to keep them healthy for the playoffs.
It’s not going to ruin team chemistry or hold anyone back, as a matter of fact, it’s the best decision to make from a football point of view.
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Quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott are two of the Cowboys main offensive cornerstones. They’re catalysts and have been instrumental in the overall execution in keeping those chains moving and, of course, scoring touchdowns.
One doesn’t have to look far to seeing just how unfortunate things can turn out when an impact player on your team goes down to injury. Week 16 had its usual drama, but none more than devastating season-ending injuries to two franchise quarterbacks, Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota.
Perhaps this serves as a wake-up call to Dallas and other teams with playoff aspirations. Obviously it’s not all cut-and-dry. Of course, injuries are a part of football and you have to weigh risks and rewards. But in the case of the Cowboys, they should use their backups extensively and sit their starters to avoid losing key players to injury in a game that holds no playoff implications whatsoever.
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Plus, the Cowboys would be wise to get rid of some of the rust off of Tony Romo. One never knows if he has to come in and save the day in case something should happen to Prescott. Either way, the Cowboys should absolutely sit both Prescott and Elliott to get ready for what could be a historic run towards Super Bowl LI. Of course, what they should do and what they will do are ultimately two different things.