FRISCO, Texas – Despite longer odds to improve on their current No. 4 seed in the upcoming NFC playoffs, the Cowboys are planning to play their starters in Saturday's regular-season finale at Philadelphia.
That apparently includes running back Ezekiel Elliott, who has been battling through a knee injury since the first month of the season.
"I'm playing this week," Elliott told reporters Tuesday.
Elliott (915 yards, 10 rushing touchdowns) needs 85 yards Saturday to reach 1,000 for the fourth time in his six-year career.
"That is meaningful for me and it's still kind of a standard that you look at when you go into the season," he said.
But the two-time NFL rushing champ is also focused on team goals -- specifically, the offense trying to sharpen its efficiency heading into the playoffs.
"I think we're pretty close," he said. "I think there are a lot of one-offs, maybe just one guy here, one guy there and that's kind of what's been killing us. But I think we're close."
Next WRs Up
The Cowboys' offense will be without wide receiver Michael Gallup for the rest of the regular season and playoffs due to an ACL tear in his left knee suffered last Sunday against Arizona.
That means more responsibility not only for backup Cedrick Wilson, who caught a touchdown pass and two-point conversion in the game, but starters Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb.
"We're ready to take on the challenge," Lamb said. "I feel like it's our opportunity to step up for MG because we know the energy and the excitement he brings."
Wilson was productive during a seven-game stretch earlier in the season while Gallup was on injured reserve with a calf strain. For the season, he has 38 catches for 465 yards and 4 touchdowns.
"Ever since I've been here, I've always prepared for my opportunity whenever it came," Wilson said. "It came a little bit in my second year, a little bit in my third year and obviously the most this year."
-Rob Phillips (1/4)
1,000 For Zeke?
Despite longer odds to improve on their current No. 4 seed in the upcoming NFC playoffs, the Cowboys are planning to play their starters in Saturday's regular-season finale at Philadelphia.
That apparently includes running back Ezekiel Elliott, who has been battling through a knee injury since the first month of the season.
"I'm playing this week," Elliott told reporters Tuesday.
Elliott (915 yards, 10 rushing touchdowns) needs 85 yards Saturday to reach 1,000 for the fourth time in his six-year career.
"That is meaningful for me and it's still kind of a standard that you look at when you go into the season," he said.
But the two-time NFL rushing champ is also focused on team goals -- specifically, the offense trying to sharpen its efficiency heading into the playoffs.
"I think we're pretty close," he said. "I think there are a lot of one-offs, maybe just one guy here, one guy there and that's kind of what's been killing us. But I think we're close."
-Rob Phillips (1/4)
**Bird Watching
**Trevon Diggs' face changed from confusion to amusement in an instant.
The Cowboys' second-year corner had been asked what has contributed to his success against the Eagles. The truth of the matter was that he hadn't stopped to think about it.
"I didn't realize that," Diggs said with a laugh.
Saturday would be Diggs' fourth game against Philadelphia. He has interceptions in all of the other three. He tallied the first two picks of his career at Lincoln Financial Field as a rookie, when he intercepted Carson Wentz twice in the same game. He also picked off Jalen Hurts during last year's 37-17 win at AT&T Stadium.
During the teams' Week 3 meeting this season, he didn't just pick off Hurts again – he returned it for a touchdown, extending the Cowboys' lead to 27-7.
Despite all that, Diggs said he didn't have a great answer for why that might be. But he is hoping to continue the streak.
"I feel like it's one of those games, one of those division games," Diggs said. "We see them, we're familiar with them. They're familiar with us. I feel like that could play a part, too. Just playing them all these times."
-David Helman (1/5)
Philly Focused
The Cowboys' coordinators likely can't avoid job talk forever, but it's not something they're worried about here in Week 18.
As of right now, there are only two vacant head coaching jobs in the NFL, as both Las Vegas and Jacksonville parted ways with their coaches earlier this season. That number is bound to increase after the weekend
For the time being, though, only the Jaguars have sought permission to interview the Cowboys' coordinators, Dan Quinn and Kellen Moore, for their job opening. To this point, that doesn't seem to be going anywhere.
"Oh, I think obviously that's why you have agents," Moore said. "Theyr'e allowed to go through that process and I'm really just on Philadelphia and we'll get to that when we get to it."
Moore did not elaborate much on where he stands with that job opening. He did say he has not spoken with the Jaguars, though he did not specify whether an interview has been scheduled at some point.
"I think those things will just pop up when they need to be addressed and I'm not too concerned with it right now," he said.
As for Quinn, reports surfaced last week that the veteran defensive coach declined the opportunity to interview with Jacksonville. Asked about it on Thursday, Quinn said his focus was on the group he's working with right now.
"Honestly, I'm just enjoying what I'm doing and really having the time of my life with this group of guys," he said. "And so I just wanted to kind of be right where I'm at. It was nothing more than that or past that, so that's where it went."
-David Helman (1/6)
