DALLAS — Why did the Dallas Cowboys leave quarterback Dak Prescott in for the duration of a meaningless Week 17 game? Consider that the club was hoping to give opposing defensive coordinators something extra to ponder as the Cowboys edged the New York Giants 36-35 Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
"I think that was a big part of what we were doing [Sunday]," Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones told "G-Bag Nation" on 105.3 "The Fan" [KRLD-FM] Monday. "It certainly gives the [Seattle] Seahawks something to think about in terms of how they are going to defend us."
Prescott completed 27 passes on 44 attempts for 387 yards and four touchdowns. This was all without All-Pros left tackle Tyron Smith and Zack Martin blocking for him or All-Pro running back Ezekiel Elliott to hand-off to. Prescott's big target on the afternoon was tight end Blake Jarwin, who caught seven passes for 119 yards and three touchdowns, all of the scoring receptions were third-down conversions.
Even though it was against a five-win Giants team that will finish in last place in the NFC East for consecutive seasons, the theory is that the Cowboys offense put on film that Prescott can find ways to move the offense without his All-Pro supporting cast.
Said Jones: "I know for the most part you'd have to believe most teams came in here with the thought if we stopped Zeke we had a good chance to beat them. Hopefully we'll give them some more things to think about and I think this certainly gives us the multiplicity that we want in our offense."
The seemingly meaningless game also presented an opportunity for Prescott to generate confidence among his teammates that he could move the offense without Elliott, Smith, and Martin, and it was a task Jones felt Prescott achieved.
"A lot of people questioned when we were missing Tyron and Zack and decided not to play Zeke should we have Dak in there, but I think it was a great opportunity for him to not only get confidence in himself, which he rarely doesn't have," Jones said. "I don't think I've ever seen him not have confidence, but really get the confidence of the team that he can make plays like that regardless of who's in on the offensive side of the ball. So, it's just a big time day for him.
"Certainly didn't surprise me in terms of what type of player Dak is. He's a winner. He's a competitor. And he's certainly the leader of that offense."
The Cowboys will host the Seahawks Saturday, Jan. 5 at AT&T Stadium. It will be the second time in series history the two sides will meet in the playoffs. Dallas is 2-0 in wildcard playoff games at AT&T Stadium with the last a 24-20 victory over the Detroit Lions on Jan. 4, 2015.
Do you agree with the Cowboys that playing Prescott for the full game was important or do you think he could have used a breather before the playoffs? Share your thoughts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.