Hot Cowboys Value Staying Sharp over Rest; Playing to Win vs. Redskins

IRVING, Texas — For the first time in three years, the Dallas Cowboys are heading into the season finale with little to play for.

Unlike 2011, 2012 and 2013, when the Cowboys lost a winner-take-all battle for the division title and the playoffs each year, they already have a berth in the postseason locked up as champions of the NFC East.

Sure, there is a very slim possibility the Cowboys (11-4) could earn the No. 1 seed with a victory at the Washington Redskins (4-11) Sunday. Of course, that would also take the minor miracle of the game between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers ending in a tie and the Arizona Cardinals losing or tying at the San Francisco 49ers.

There is also the chance the Cowboys could earn a first-round bye in the playoffs as the No. 2 seed, but that would require a plethora of seemingly long-shot scenarios, including the Seattle Seahawks losing at home to the St. Louis Rams and Arizona losing to San Francisco.

The most likely situation has the Cowboys heading into the playoffs as the No. 3 seed and hosting the loser of the Detroit-Green Bay matchup in a wild-card game Jan. 3 or 4 at AT&T Stadium.

With that being the case, it would seemingly make sense for the Cowboys to tread cautiously against a motivated Redskins team looking for a sweep in the season finale, per Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III (via the team's official Twitter feed):

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Griffin III on games vs. Cowboys: "We understand the rivalry. If we get the win and the sweep, it would be good."

— Washington Redskins (@Redskins) December 23, 2014"

It could be used as an opportunity to rest some injured players like running back DeMarco Murray, who is still nursing a fractured bone in his left hand, and keep quarterback Tony Romo out of harm's way and healthy for the playoffs.

But coach Jason Garrett has no interest in taking his foot off the pedal of a young team that is in the playoffs for the first time since 2009 and playing its best football of the season.

Garrett wants to keep the Cowboys sharp and focused for the playoffs and plans to play to win against the Redskins.

“There are some teams who are more mature, maybe they have been there before, they know how to handle that situation, rest and healing up might be more important to them,” Garrett said. “But our football team—we need to play. We need to go play and play well. It starts with practice. It starts with our preparation, and then when the game starts go play as well as you can play.”

A fired-up Garrett made that statement Monday, one day after clinching the NFC East title with a 42-7 victory against the Indianapolis Colts. He didn’t back down from that mindset two days later, with time to digest the complete playoff scenario and come down from the euphoria of his first playoff berth.

“Yeah, we’re playing. We’re practicing and playing, and we’re getting ready to play our best football game against Washington on Sunday,” Garrett said Wednesday.

Garrett has the complete backing of owner Jerry Jones, who also believes the Cowboys should play to win against the Redskins and not chance losing their edge.

The Cowboys are riding a three-game winning streak, averaging roughly 40 points per game in December.

“I feel strongly about going all out against the Redskins,” Jones said. “There are several reasons, but No. 1, I think there’s a bigger concern about losing your edge than there is ever about some of those other issues that are involved.

"There will be opportunities enough as the game goes along to see if anybody needs to be resting. But we need that win. We could really need it. It could really make a difference. And, so, that’s that.”

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Another reason Jones wants the Cowboys to play their starters is to reward Murray, who's just 29 yards away from setting a new single-season franchise rushing record. Murray leads the NFL with 1,745 yards and would certainly pass Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith’s team record of 1,773 against the Redskins.

Jones wants Murray to get a chance at the record, even though he is still nursing a surgically repaired left hand.

“We all know the risk of losing a player in a game,” Jones said. “And all of those have their way or sorting out. I think you can make a good case for even someone like Murray getting his reps in. You know, you’ve got Murray, who’s got—let’s look at the record aspect of this thing, 29 yards to go.

"That’s not just Murray’s record. That offensive line—I know as a former offensive lineman, you’re so proud of those yards, it’s like you made every one of them yourself. And so, there’s an inspirational thing about doing well, winning, stats.

“You’ve got to temper all of that as to the risk. As you know, I’m a risk-taker. You’ve got to weigh that against the reward. And I think the mental, feel-good of competing, or give yourself a chance to compete, is good.”

Again, there is also the Romo factor and the Redskins’ blitz-happy ways.

Washington is chomping at the bit to end its season on a winning note, and if history is an indicator, it will certainly go after Romo. Remember, Romo suffered a herniated disc in his back against the Redskins in the second-to-last game of the 2013 season and missed the season finale.

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The first meeting this year was no picnic either, as Romo suffered two fractured bones in his back in a 20-17 overtime loss to the Redskins Oct. 27.

Romo says he will play as long as Garrett wants him to. All he’s focused on is being “the best version" of himself.

“Well, I think my thought process is the same as it is every week—you know, to be the best version of myself,” Romo said. “Anytime you have the opportunity to play in a football game, I think that you owe it to the game and to your team and everybody to go out and play the game the way it’s meant to be played. I think that’s all out the whole time.

"If Coach takes you out, he takes you out, but I’m going in with the approach that I’m playing to win this football game and be the best version of myself I can be and just another opportunity to go out and play the game we love.”

 

Clarence Hill covers the Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.