The Dallas Cowboys are heading into their final game of the season on Sunday, January 5, against the Washington Commanders at AT&T Stadium. While the Cowboys won’t be in the playoffs this year, they’re still playing for their dignity, so head coach Mike McCarthy is taking their quarterback decision seriously when it comes to who will play in the final game.
Speaking after the Cowboys’ loss to the Eagles on December 29, McCarthy talked about the team’s current quarterback situation and indicated that he may make a change.
‘This is the Time” to Think About ‘All the Positions’
Dallas Cowboys franchise quarterback Dak Prescott is out for the season with an injury. In lieu of Prescott, backup quarterback Cooper Rush has been playing. But, that could change for the final game.
When asked if former third-overall pick Trey Lance could get playing time in the final matchup, McCarthy responded with some praise for Cooper but sounded like he was open to Lance playing.
“I really like what Cooper has done and I think we all have to recognize the job he’s done to this point,” McCarthy told reporters on Monday, December 30. “But, this is the time where you do think about not just the quarterback position, but all the positions. Making sure we do have information on our younger players. Frankly, we probably have a lot based on how much [the non-quarterbacks] have played.”
He basically said the decision was still up in the air but that it wasn’t his focus at the moment.
“We’re not looking to answer those kinds of questions right now,” he said. “We’ll talk about that moving forward but I’d like to be in a position where everybody plays but, being practical as far as how we make that happen, we’ll put together a gameplan over the next 36 hours.”
Dak Prescott Talks Cowboys Missing the Playoffs
Prescott has spent most of the season on injury reserve with an injured ankle. He had surgery on his hamstring on November 13 and says he’s improving.
Speaking about this season’s record for the Cowboys, Prescott said, “Nobody plans to lose.”
“Nobody plans to have a losing season, to be in this position. You expect the playoffs every year,” Prescott said. “You expect to win the division and then to be in this place or whether it’s at home, playing against this team usually for the division. That’s not the case. Yeah it’s frustrating.”
Prescott also sounded sympathetic of McCarthy when it comes to the criticism he’s gotten this season, stating that “credit to him, credit to his professionalism and really his coaching style of being able to get guys ready to play and go out there and finish and take pride in what we finish and what we put on tape.”
Switching gears to his health, Prescott had a positive update that he’s getting closer to being able to run again. That, of course, comes in handy in the quarterback position.
“Gained some strength in it … started to use it a little bit,” Prescott stated. “Yeah, I’m probably a few weeks, maybe a month, from running, running. But got on the bike, so I’m definitely doing some things, moving more.”
