Mailbag: Would a Week 18 loss be better?

(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)

Should we be secretly rooting for the Cowboys to lose this last game, so they get a better draft pick? Or do we still hope for the win and that the talent we already have flourishes? I'm really torn. – Zachary Mauney/Jewett, TX

Nick: I say this probably once or twice a week on my podcast "Cowboys StoryLine" ... I just never tell anyone how to fan. You do you. If you want to root against your team and hope that it's better down the road, then do that. If you're one of those, who can't stand to see a loss, no matter the circumstances, that makes sense to me. There are some people who just would never ever want them to lose to Washington. And I also understand that, too.

Personally, I take the draft order as just a silver lining in case of a loss. I'm always wanting my team to win - no matter what. You only get 17 games a year and so I'm not usually one to waste a loss for anything. I get that it gives you a better draft pick - in every round - but to me, it's not worth it. I've seen the Cowboys take players high in the draft and miss. I've seen them have success later on. So a few spots here and there isn't a big deal to me. I think it's a selfish attitude to want your team to lose because of what they get next year - knowing that half of the players and most of the coaches are not guaranteed the same luxury of being around next year. I say go win the game, whatever happens, happens.

Patrik: If you're a part of team tank, asking me questions like this is basically choosing to be pissed off, because my answer will always be a resounding "no", and especially when we're talking about potentially sweeping a division rival who, by the way, is hoping to carry momentum into the playoffs. If for no other reason than those two, count me in to find a way to beat the holy hell out of the Commanders in Week 18. As far as the draft pick order goes, I've seen more than enough of this league to not stress myself over it. Those things will work themselves out in one way or another, e.g., the Giants winning in Week 17, and then there's the reality that many NFL teams effectively suck at drafting.

That's how CeeDee Lamb (17th-overall) and Micah Parsons (12th-overall) wound up in Dallas in the first place, as well as Zack Martin (16th-overall), and then there's the fact Trevon Diggs fell to the second round, DaRon Bland was available in the fifth round, etc. etc. — making success in the draft far less about where you're selecting and much more about how good your scouting department is in helping you decide who to select. So, all of that said, go and punch a hole through the Commanders, because asking a team to lose on purpose and then complaining about a "losing culture" is literal psychopathy.