The Dallas Cowboys have clinched the NFC East and one of the top three seeds in the conference playoffs, despite having one more game to play. Consequently, debate has raged since the Cowboys' demolition of the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday about whether their stars should rest this week.
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According to ESPN, head coach Jason Garret is planning to play the starters because he believes that every game counts, even if the Cowboys clinched their first division crown since 2009 with their 42-7 drubbing of the Colts.
"There's a playoff scenario with us winning the game will give us an opportunity to get a first-round bye so we're going to take advantage of what we can take advantage of and players are football players," Garret said.
He added: "There are 16 opportunities to play and guys who are healthy are going to play in this game and practice this week and play in the game. Ballgames are important to us."
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Admittedly, he is correct. There are a couple of scenarios that could allow Dallas to earn a first-round bye or even the top overall seed in the playoffs if they beat Washington. However...
is this complicated? Dallas clinches a first-round bye with: 1) DAL win + SEA loss or tie + ARI loss or tie OR
— Jean-Jacques Taylor (@JJT_ESPNDallas) December 26, 2014
The team could also earn a first-round bye with a win and a tie between Green Bay and Detroit.
The argument for resting players makes sense: quarterback Tony Romo is injured and running back DeMarco Murray has had a near-historical workload.
But Murray may be a free agent after this season, and Romo is one of the toughest players in the entire NFL. The bottom line is, if there is a chance that your playoff position could be improved, you do what you can to make that happen.
The major sticking point in the debate is that the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks games which are so crucial to Dallas's playoff seed will not kick off until after Dallas and Washington have already played. If Dallas played after Arizona and Seattle, their fate could be sealed before their game started, thus making the start-or-sit decision an easy one.
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