The Dallas Cowboys have called off the dogs. With not much difference between the three and four seeds and with a shot at the two seed relying on the Carolina Panthers, losers of 11 of their last 13, to beat the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it makes sense for Dallas to keep things close in Week 18.
While beating the Philadelphia Eagles and finishing 6-0 in the NFC East is a worthy accomplishment, it’s not reason enough to give wounded players a game off and protecting key guys from further hurt. Dallas looks like they will err on the side of caution with multiple sick (non-COVID) and injury-report players staying behind in Texas. There will most likely be limited, if any, snaps for some of the higher profile players. Those moves of course mean more playing time for some down-roster guys and that leads to some intriguing storylines for Week 18’s matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.