FRISCO — The Cowboys do still have a mathematical chance at making the playoffs, even if the chances are less than a single percent, according to multiple analytic websites. Even if there wasn’t, it doesn’t seem like that would change head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s outlook on the rest of the season.
Schottenheimer said he’s keeping an approach he’s consistently had throughout this season. He’s called every game a championship opportunity, and Sunday’s home finale against the Los Angeles Chargers is no different.
“I’m going to stay in the moment,” he said on Wednesday. “I’m going to be all about the Chargers, and after we go and play the Chargers and hopefully win I’m going to be all about the Commanders, and then the Giants, and then what see happens. And then we’ll take a broader, bigger picture at that point.”
That’s Schottenheimer’s mindset regardless if they’re in playoff contention or not. That also plays into his mindset on pursuing winning versus preservation with, seemingly, nothing to play for.
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Schottenheimer was asked if the Cowboys would turn to backup quarterback Joe Milton instead of continuing to play starter Dak Prescott if they were eliminated.
“I want to win,” Schottenheimer said succinctly, “so the plan would be to play Dak.”
The question is especially relevant, considering what happened to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs, like the Cowboys, still had slim playoff chances when they kicked off last week. Mahomes suffered a torn ACL in the game, putting into question when he’ll be available to return next season. The Chiefs were also eliminated from the playoffs with a loss.
The prudent approach would be to sit Prescott, 32, if the Cowboys were eliminated. That wouldn’t be the winning pursuit, it seems, in the eyes of Schottenheimer.
Prescott is 69 yards away from reaching 4,000 passing yards for the fourth time in his career.
The Cowboys did get an extended look at Milton during the preseason. Milton completed 55.4% of his passes and threw two touchdowns and two interceptions in three games. Prescott didn’t play at all in the preseason.
The Cowboys have Milton under contract for the next two seasons.
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