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4 New Year’s Resolutions for the Dallas Cowboys in 2023

By Jerry Trotta

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - DECEMBER 29: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys looks to throw a pass against the Tennessee Titans during the first quarter of the game at Nissan Stadium on December 29, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - DECEMBER 29: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys looks to throw a pass against the Tennessee Titans during the first quarter of the game at Nissan Stadium on December 29, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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The Dallas Cowboys improved to 12-4 on the season with their win in Tennessee on Thursday night. It marked another up-and-down performance from Mike McCarthy’s group, which hasn’t put together a complete 60-minute performance since their Week 11 beatdown of the Vikings in Minnesota.

While the Cowboys have assembled strong halves and dominant quarters, convincing displays have been few and far between the last two months. That’s just a testament to how difficult it is to win in the NFL, and Dallas should by no means apologize for winning ugly since the calendar hit late November.

At the same time, though, the Cowboys can’t continue on their current trajectory in the playoffs. While winning ugly isn’t impossible in January, the margin for error decreases tenfold, and errors have plagued this team all season long.

With that in mind, here are some realistic New Year’s Resolutions for the Cowboys that we’ll be manifesting until their first playoff game.

4 New Year’s Resolutions for the Cowboys in 2023

(Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
(Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) /

4. Get impact players healthy for the playoffs

The injury gods are merciless, but the Cowboys can control their own fate on the injury front by resting key players for the playoffs.

Tony Pollard springs to mind after he missed Week 17 with a thigh injury. While the running game missed Pollard’s explosiveness, Dallas needs him for Wild Card Weekend and potentially beyond. Given how sluggish Ezekiel Elliott looked against the Titans (just 1.9 yards per carry) go ahead and give him the week, too.

The same goes for Leighton Vander Esch (shoulder stinger), Tyler Biadasz (high-ankle sprain), who was unlikely to play anyway, and Johnathan Hankins (pec strain). And if the Eagles win on Sunday to clinch the division, by all means sit Dak Prescott, who grabbed at his knee and came up hobbled after a sack vs the Titans.

DeMarcus Lawrence and Jayron Kearse have been regulars on the injury report the last several weeks, and Micah Parsons sported a club cast over his hand on Thursday night. Picking up what we’re putting down? They might be the D’s three-most important players. Sit them against Washington as well.

The Cowboys have the talent to make a deep playoff run, but they won’t make any noise in the tournament if some of these players are dinged up going into Round 1. In this case, we side with “rest” in the rest vs rust debate.

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