Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys: Three Thoughts Heading into Wildcard Weekend

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:38 p.m. ET

Fansided, Carl Daley/FanSided via The Landry Hat

The Dallas Cowboys are on their first round bye which will give their players some time to rest. Here are some thoughts heading into the playoffs. Jan 1, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett heads out of the tunnel before game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports The Dallas Cowboys will have some extra time to prepare for their upcoming playoff game as they are currently on their first round bye. This weekend multiple NFC teams will square off for the opportunity to face Dallas in the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs. The Cowboys will likely be studying film on all of their possible opponents however the playoff picture will become much clearer after this weekend. Until then the Cowboys will likely focus on getting their players healthy and ready for their upcoming postseason showdown.

Thought #1 – Jason Garrett is the Coach of the Year

Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett has had an interesting time leading this current crop of players. This season has arguably been his best so far and it appears this team finally has an identity and this is largely thanks to Garrett. The tough nosed mentality the Cowboys have brought into this season is largely the same attitude he has been preaching his entire time with the team.

That culture has slowly grown, now the Cowboys have a locker room full of the “right kind of guys” and players you can legitimately build a franchise around. Garrett has gotten a lot of blame when things do not go the right way for Dallas, so why shouldn’t he get the credit he deserves?

Sure New England Patriots coach, Bill Belichick is a perennial favorite for this award but who really saw this coming?

Even if the season panned out successfully who saw the Cowboys getting a first round bye?

Sure a ton of credit to the other coaches on staff as well as the players but in terms of the best head coach, the only choice here is Garrett as he has done something pretty significant in Big D.

Oct 16, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) shake hands after thier game at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Thought #2 – Possible Opponents next week

The Cowboys could face several opponents in their first playoff game this season and they all have one thing in common, they are incredibly dangerous. The Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and New York Giants are all battling for a date for the Cowboys and Dallas has had meaningful games against all of them this season.

Obviously the Giants stand out as the nemesis in this group considering they delivered the Cowboys only losses on the season until Week Seventeen. A third game between the Giants and Cowboys would be some serious rivalry football, and it appears Dallas would be itching at that opportunity.

New York will have to earn their next game against Dallas as they will head to Lambeau Field this week to face the Green Bay Packers. NFL teams have been torched in recent weeks by the Green Bay Packers led by starting quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. The Packers new legendary quarterback has been on fire for the last month of the regular season and has not thrown a pick in that time span.

If Dallas ends up hosting the Packers they will have to post a pretty potent offensive performance to out score the Pack. Dallas has beaten the Packers during the regular season but facing Aaron Rodgers in the postseason is a precarious scenario however it makes for a fantastic football game. Either opponent would be a touch matchup but the Cowboys should be up for the challenge.

On the outside chance the Detroit Lions pull off an upset in Seattle, this would create a pretty interesting conundrum for Dallas. The Cowboys embarrassed the Lions the last time these two teams faced off, not to mention the whole playoff controversy in 2014. If the Lions make it to the divisional round they could be incredibly motivated to erase some of their ghosts from previous contests against the Cowboys.

Bottom line, Dallas will need to come out swinging offensively no matter who they face as each of their possible opponents will be driven to take them down.

Dec 26, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) before the game against the Detroit Lions at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Thought #3 – Why Tony Romo should stay with the Cowboys

Cowboys veteran quarterback, Tony Romo appeared in his first game of 2017 against the Philadelphia Eagles and looked pretty sharp for a guy who has been standing on the sidelines all season. This was largely do to the fact that Romo was playing behind the best offensive line in the NFL, but still impressive.

The dime that the Cowboys veteran dropped to wide receiver Terrance Williams that led to a touchdown got everyone excited including starting quarterback Dak Prescott. While there have been a ton of rumors around Romo and what he will want to do when the season comes to an end, one thing is clear, he plays his best football behind the Cowboys O line.

As he approaches the twilight of his career he has the ability to make a large chunk of change from just sitting on the bench. It may seem unlikely that the Cowboys will let this happen but why not? The 2015 season was proof enough that if you don’t have a quality backup quarterback the team could find themselves in big trouble and it is unlikely they will want to go through that again.

The Cowboys could draft another quarterback but that seems a bit unnecessary considering the situation. Romo cannot find a better offensive fit for his play style or a team with bigger upside. The Denver Broncos have been discussed as a potential trade partner but they would have a lot of trouble giving number 9 a clean pocket.

Tony would have to go into a brand new environment and learn a new system something he has never really done. The best thing for both sides is for an understanding to be reached, most Cowboy fans and the organization want Romo to retire with the team after everything he has done for the franchise.

At the end of the day Dallas would save around five million dollars in 2017 if he is released or traded and that is just not enough to move arguably one of the most talented quarterbacks in Cowboy history. As far as respecting the veterans wishes and allowing him to play for another team to compete and win a Super Bowl, Romo likely wants to do that with the Cowboys and the teammates he has spent his entire career with.

Plus can we really say that trading him to the New York Jets, Los Angeles Rams, or Jacksonville Jaguars is really something he is wishing for? The Cowboys should play this situation very cautiously and unless they get an extremely lopsided trade offer, it would be tough to make sense of getting rid of the Cowboy vet.