Jason Witten

Why the Cowboys must play to win Monday night's meaningless game vs. Lions

Published Dec. 26, 2016 10:58 a.m. ET

Cameron DaSilva

As it stands right now, no team is in a better position than the Dallas Cowboys. They’re the only ones that have locked up home-field advantage, securing an NFC East title and first-round bye as well – all thanks to the Giants’ loss on Thursday night. In turn, the Cowboys now play a meaningless football game on Monday night.

Technically speaking, it’s meaningless. Relative to Dallas’ Super Bowl hopes, it’s anything but that. The Cowboys have to play to win against the Lions, and anything less than that would be a mistake.

Unlike Dallas, the Lions have everything to play for. They’re in the midst of a tight race for a playoff berth with a game against the Packers looming in Week 17 – a game that will decide the NFC North title. If the Lions win on Monday night against the Cowboys, they could still get in with a loss to the Packers. If they lose both, they’re most likely out of the postseason.

Detroit is obviously a playoff contender and has a good chance of getting a seat at the table when it’s all said and done. Because of that, the Cowboys have to continue to play their starters and not let up with just two weeks remaining. Monday night is the perfect opportunity for them to flex their muscles and show that they’re the team to beat not only in the NFC, but in all of football.

Dallas silenced the critics last week with a huge win over the Buccaneers after losing to the Giants in Week 14. The loss to New York created a bit of controversy in Big D, causing some to call for Tony Romo to be the quarterback going forward. Dak Prescott responded with arguably the best game of his career, solidifying his place as the starter.

But what would be better than one response to all the doubters? A second impressive outing in prime time once again.

The Cowboys have the opportunity to do exactly that on Monday night, particularly with regards to Prescott. With Dak being a rookie, there’s no time for rest. There’s no time for him to take a break before the playoffs. At least not this week. He has to follow up his impressive game against the Buccaneers with yet another convincing performance against a second playoff contender.

If he’s able to do that, he’ll not only bolster his resume as a potential – albeit, a longshot – MVP candidate, but he’ll cement the Cowboys as legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Dallas failed to do that in 2007 when they rested their starters in Week 17, which subsequently led to a loss in their first playoff game.

Jerry Jones mentioned that last week, and it’s truly one of the best things he’s said through all of this.

"I know that in our [2007] season here with Wade Phillips, we had a great season and then we turned around and got into the playoffs and rested pretty good the last ballgame. And we ended up losing the first playoff game that we had with home-field bye all the way through.

"That's going to bear heavily, our experience there with Wade in 2007, will weigh heavily on any thoughts I have about who plays."

If the Cowboys opt to sit their starters against the Lions – even if it’s just for a half – they run the risk of doing something detrimental to the team: turning rest into rust.

The Cowboys are a young bunch, led by two rookies in Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, with an offensive line that’s loaded with youngsters outside of Doug Free. Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams are far from “old,” as is Cole Beasley. Jason Witten has missed one game in his career, so the veteran tight end needing an extra week off shouldn’t be a concern. And on defense, Sean Lee is one of the only players with a legitimate injury history that could haunt the Cowboys should he get injured.

Of course, recency bias will play a role, having watched both Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota breaking their legs. Tyler Lockett also suffered a severe leg injury in the Seahawks’ loss on Saturday. However, Dallas can’t let these freak incidents cloud their judgement.

They simply cannot afford to sit their stars down and give them a week off. Beating a postseason contender like the Lions in prime time with everyone watching is far more important – and it’ll only benefit them in the long run. They’ll get their well-deserved week off. It’ll just come in two weeks during the wild-card round.