The Dallas Cowboys have wasted arguably the best season of Dak Prescott's career. Prescott could finish top-five in MVP voting when all is said and done, and Dallas might end up not even sniffing the playoffs.
The Cowboys might be eliminated from playoff contention before they kick off against the LA Chargers on Sunday afternoon. They are already eliminated from the Wild Card race, and the Eagles can lock up the NFC East on Saturday with a win over the Commanders.
Even though Dallas' season might be over by Sunday, Brian Schottenheimer is not considering starting Joe Milton in the name of keeping Dak Prescott healthy. That goes for any of the final games, not just Week 16 (h/t to Todd Archer of ESPN).
"I want to win. So the plan would be to play Dak," Schottenheimer said.
Cowboys plan to start QB Dak Prescott to close out the 2025 regular season
Schottenheimer's stance could change once the Cowboys are officially eliminated from playoff contention. That said, Cowboys fans will grit their teeth reading that, especially given the magnitude of injuries that transpired in the NFL last weekend.
While there is something to be said about competing until the season is over, having Prescott as healthy as possible going into the offseason has to be the primary goal. He proved this season, coming off a nasty hamstring injury, that he's still capable of playing at an elite level.
In Week 15, football fans watched Patrick Mahomes and Micah Parsons suffer ACL tears. They are now in a race against time to be ready for the start of next season.
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Prescott potentially suffering a major injury in a meaningless game that could jeopardize his availability for Week 1 of next season would be a doomsday scenario. The 2025 season was enjoyable during that three-game winning streak, but it was never truly salvageable due to the defense.
2026 should be a much different story. With an offseason spent retooling the defensive personnel and hopefully bringing in a new defensive coordinator, the Cowboys should be in the Super Bowl conversation.
Of course, any improvements that are made on defense won't matter if Prescott isn't under center.
While there is nothing wrong with playing No. 4 this Sunday, Cowboys fans will be hoping that Schottenheimer revisits this decision once the postseason door is slammed shut.