Even with no path to the playoffs, the Dallas Cowboys plan to play its starters against the Washington Commanders on Christmas, a decision driven more by pride than positioning.
For many teams already eliminated, the end of December becomes a time to protect veterans, evaluate younger players, and quietly improve draft odds.
Dallas is choosing a different route. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer has made it clear that rest is not on the agenda. Winning is.
“We want to finish strong. We want to build on the momentum,” Schottenheimer said earlier this week. “I’m not asking their opinion. We’re playing to win. But I guarantee you if I took a poll of guys in that locker room that wanted to play, every hand would shoot up, for all the reasons that I’ve said. They love one another. They know we’re building something special here.”
That message has landed inside the building. Rather than embracing the league’s familiar late season slide into experimentation and caution, the Cowboys are treating these games as statements. There will be no soft shutdown. No subtle tanking.
Dallas sits at 6-8-1, still capable of finishing above .500 and posting a 5-1 divisional record. Those numbers do not open playoff doors, but they matter to a franchise that measures itself against higher standards. For Schottenheimer, they represent a chance to show growth. For ownership, they represent responsibility.
Team owner Jerry Jones has echoed that stance, framing the decision as something owed to the fan base rather than a strategic gamble.
“A win is important to me,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. “We certainly owe it to our fans [to be] competitive… We will not try for a draft position.”
Locker room pride still driving the Cowboys
Inside the locker room, that approach has been embraced most clearly by the quarterback. Dak Prescott has no interest in sitting out the remaining games, regardless of where Dallas stands. After missing much of last season with a hamstring injury, Prescott wants to play whenever his body allows.
More than availability, though, his comments reflect lingering frustration about how this season slipped away.
“You know how hard we worked, the sacrifices we made to even get to this league,” Prescott said. “I said it to the team on Friday when we were breaking down, or on Saturday. ‘This game has given us so much; how could you cheat it?”
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