Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys failed to qualify for this season’s playoffs. This marked their second straight year without a postseason appearance after finishing with an underwhelming 4-10 record in 2024.

Coach Brian Schottenheimer and his team’s playoff hopes came crashing down following their 34-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16. That result raised questions about whether the team would bench Dak Prescott for the remainder of the season to avoid unnecessary injury concerns.

The quarterback played during their Christmas Day victory over the Washington Commanders last Thursday. Now, according to The Athletic’s Jon Machota, Schottenheimer has decided to continue with Prescott in the final game of the season.

“Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer says the plan remains the same for the season finale, Dak Prescott will play,” Machota tweeted.

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Against the Commanders last week, Prescott completed 19 of 37 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns. This win also brought an end to their three-game losing skid.

Prescott made several valuable contributions to the Cowboys’ offense this season. In 16 games, he recorded 4,482 passing yards and 30 touchdowns. The Cowboys had less than a 1% chance of making the playoffs after losing to the Vikings in Week 15. However, that did not deter Prescott from continuing to take the field.

“Absolutely,” Prescott said in the postgame presser. “Being a professional, this is my job. This is what I love to do. Sitting out last year and the times before, you don’t take this for granted. You play every game to win. You play every game with the chance to go to the playoffs and play in the Super Bowl.

“Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. If that’s not the case when we take the field or whatever it may be, I’m thankful for the opportunity to play this game and I’m never going to pass it up.”

Ryan Clark shares his honest thoughts on Dak Prescott playing in the Cowboys’ final game of the season

Last week’s victory over the Commanders improved the Cowboys’ record to 7-8-1. However, not everyone agrees with Prescott’s decision to play in the final game of the 2025 season.

On last Friday’s episode of ESPN’s “First Take,” Ryan Clark offered a warning to the veteran quarterback ahead of the Week 18 showdown.

“If Dak Prescott don’t go sit his a** down and stop this!” Clark said. “(He) had two season-ending injuries. (He) knows what it’s like to not be able to play, to not be able to get on the field, to not be to have an offseason where you could train and get better.

“He doesn’t have anything to prove. He has played hard. He has led with the top of leaders in this league. And that’s all we need to see.”