'This is our job': Dak Prescott to play Week 17 despite Cowboys missing playoffs
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
It may be a fair question, but Dak Prescott still had to gather himself for the briefest of moments before he answered, as if he couldn't comprehend it at all.
With the Cowboys mathematically eliminated from playoff contention for the second year in a row, there is little to be gained from wins in either of the final games of the schedule. Completing season sweeps of the Commanders and/or Giants would only cost Dallas draft position come spring, and an injury to a key contributor in Week 17 or 18 could prove to be devastatingly costly when the 2026 season rolls around.
But don't call these last two outings meaningless... at least around Prescott.
In the moments following a listless 34-17 defeat at the hands of the Chargers in the team's 2025 home finale on Sunday, the veteran quarterback was asked whether it would be difficult to muster up intensity from here on out with a postseason berth now off the table.
Prescott sighed and then paused for a full five seconds before replying.
"Honestly, I guess it's different when you do this, and I'm not firing any shots, but I've said it over and over," the 32-year-old said in a careful, measured tone. "This is our job . Like, we're blessed. You know how hard we've worked and the sacrifices we've [made] to even get to this league? To get to 10 years in, for myself? To be healthy? I said it to the team ... this game has given us so much; how could you cheat it? And so to answer, I don't know anything else. I'm not going to cheat this game. I'm going to give this game everything that I have, and that's just how my mind works."
Cowboys first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer has said that he intends to play to win the final two games of the season as he attempts to finish with a .500 record and continue building a highly competitive culture that carries into the offseason.
Executive vice president Stephen Jones echoed that mindset on Monday by stating emphatically that Prescott would, in fact, be the starter on Christmas Day when the team lines up in Washington.
"Our goal is to win the football game," Jones told 105.3 The Fan. "Our goal is to finish strong."
Backup passer Joe Milton came on in relief of Prescott on Sunday once the outcome was decided. It was his third appearance of the season, all coming late in double-digit losses.
While live-fire game reps would be valuable for the second-year QB, Prescott appears set to finish out the season for Dallas. Heading into Week 16's Monday night contest, Prescott leads the NFL in passing attempts and completions, and he has a real shot at finishing the season as the league's passing yardage leader for the first time; he currently trails the Rams' Matthew Stafford by just four yards.
Prescott did not get the opportunity to finish the 2024 season after a November hamstring injury ended his year early. He also missed a chunk of games in 2022 and the majority of the 2020 campaign, something he says reminds him not to take any gameday for granted.
It's a sentiment that most, if not all, of his Cowboys teammates share.
"I think Osa [Odighizuwa] said it best when he just broke down the team right there after the game. 'We've got two weeks left and nothing's promised in life,' right? Our football careers damn sure aren't. Nothing in life is; let's enjoy these two weeks. Cherish these moments, these practices, this time together with the men and the brothers that we love and we've got an opportunity to play with. This team won't be the same next year, so let's enjoy this and give it our best."
For the Cowboys, that means keeping Prescott under center.
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Bravo.
If he’s healthy, it should not be a question
Would think you'd be rooting for da Bears instead of cheerleading for the Cowboys...
You play and play hard so you have a job next year!