:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68503365/1182181701.0.jpg)
The Dallas Cowboys are operating on one of their shortest weeks ever as they will visit the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon after visiting the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday night.
It was another loss for the Cowboys earlier in the week which ensured that they will finish with a below-.500 record for the first time since 2015. This year has felt very much like that season just about in every way since Dak Prescott was injured, but the current Cowboys quarterback actually had his most MVP-worthy year in that season five years ago.
Andy Dalton played quite well in 2015 before being injured himself. This week he will get a chance to face his former team in the Cincinnati Bengals, but there is more than revenge at stake. Cincinnati currently holds the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft while the Cowboys hold the fourth. Needless to say there are two different timelines that can be created with a win or loss in the Queen City.
What will you be rooting for this weekend when it comes to the Cowboys?
Ultimately we all want to see the Dallas Cowboys win Super Bowls and the reality is that there is a disagreement among some fans as to the best possible way in order to achieve that end goal.
Some believe that with a struggling NFC East, although the New York Giants and Washington Football Team have begun to separate themselves, that the Cowboys should give it their all and try to win this thing in the spirit that anything can happen on any given Sunday (or Tuesday for that matter). The other side of the proverbial coin is that this team’s hopes for this season appear rather shot and therefore the path of least resistance is to focus on maximizing 2021 NFL Draft potential which would require a “tanking” sort of effort.
As we have been doing for most of the season we have put together rooting guides for whichever camp you are a part of. You can view them right here.
The difference between most weeks and this one is the fact that the goals are as conflicting as they have been considering that the Cowboys are playing the Bengals. It appears as if the New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars will wind up with the draft’s top two picks, but the loser of this game could be the real winner in the spring with the third pick over the fourth.
A difference of one picks might sound inconsequential, but it should be noted that third overall figures to be first real pivot point of the upcoming draft. Assuming the Jets and Jaguars do land the top two selections they will likely take Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields which means that the third overall pick would be the first non-quarterback taken. There is a good chance that Oregon tackle Penei Sewell goes there.
Consider that in a recent mock draft done by Dane Brugler over at The Athletic that Sewell did go third to the Bengals while Dallas took Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley one pick later.
What will you be rooting for this weekend?