Cowboys: 1 way 17-game schedule screws over Dallas

Though the Dallas Cowboys do not draw an impossible 17th game matchup, playing 17 regular-season games does screw over “America’s Team” in 2021.

While reportedly playing in Foxborough will not be easy, that is the least of the Dallas Cowboys‘ concerns when it comes to playing a 17th game in the 2021 NFL season.

Had Tom Brady still been the New England Patriots starting quarterback, that would be a different issue. For now, Cam Newton will get a second year to start in New England. Let’s hope he doesn’t resemble a shot fighter again like he did in 2020. So with that in mind, the biggest way the Cowboys are screwed over with the NFL going to a 17-game season is the health of Dak Prescott.

The bottom falls out for the Dallas Cowboys without Dak Prescott

If there were any takeaways from the Cowboys’ disastrous 2020 season, it is that the team has no chance to be successful when Prescott is not on the field. After breaking his ankle, it was season over in Big D. While Prescott should be more than good to go once the season starts, we have to wonder if an injury this significant will takeaway some of the mobility that helps make him great.

Had Prescott been healthy, adding a 17th game would have yielded another bottleneck for the Cowboys to overcome. However, Prescott is coming off the most significant injury of his NFL career up to this point. Again, he should be more than fine to lead the Cowboys on fall Sundays next year. But if he gets dinged up having to play an extra game, well, he would be injury prone.

A 17th game is not what Prescott needs coming off the worst injury of his football career to date.