Dallas Cowboys fans should be hoping for loss vs. Eagles

It’s in the Dallas Cowboys best interest to lose to the rival Eagles in Week 16.

Against all odds (and maybe even logic), the Dallas Cowboys are still alive in the NFC East race. A win over the 49ers a week ago moved them to 5-9 on the year, which put them just a game back of Washington. So with a win in Week 16 over the rival Philadelphia Eagles and then in Week 17 against the Giants and with Washington losing out, the Cowboys would be in.

Fans should not want that in the slightest, however. The Cowboys winning the NFC East would get the team a home playoff game but, when matched up with teams like the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks or Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas would be out-gunned and out-manned.

It’s safe to say that a postseason berth would be soon followed by a postseason loss for the Cowboys. And even worse, making the playoffs would severely decrease the value of Dallas’ first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. And at this moment, that is of the utmost importance.

Subsequently, while you always want to beat your rivals, doing so against the Eagles in Week 16 may not be in the Cowboys’ best interest.

The Dallas Cowboys should be focused on the 2021 NFL Draft, not the playoffs.

From the moment Dak Prescott‘s season was ended prematurely with a horrific leg injury, the Cowboys should’ve been thinking about the future. Even with their franchise quarterback, this was a flawed team, especially on defense and with a crumbling offensive line. That’s been even more evident with Andy Dalton taking over.

So as the Eagles travel to AT&T Stadium on Sunday afternoon, that should be at the forefront of Cowboys fans’ minds. Yes, in most years, fans should want to see Dallas take on their rivals and beat them into submission. But doing so in the 2020 season might do more long-term harm than good.

Entering Week 16, the Dallas Cowboys have the No. 9 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. If they were to beat the Eagles, that would likely knock them out of the top 10. And if they were to beat Philly and then go on to win the division, they would have no worse than the 19th overall pick in the first round.

Potentially dropping 10 spots in the draft order is a tremendous blow for a team such as Dallas. With Prescott’s return, a top-10 prospect at a position of need could vault them into legitimate contention. That’s less so the case if they are getting a fringe top-20 prospect.

It’s been talked about ad nausea lately that teams in the NFL aren’t going to tank — there’s too much at stake for the players with their livelihood. However, if fans are watching Sunday’s game and hoping the Dallas Cowboys win, they are rooting for the wrong thing.