For the Dallas Cowboys, playoff elimination hasn’t signaled an end to the fight, but the start of a new one – against the NFL’s schedule and the conventional wisdom of resting starters. And so frustrating season for the Dallas Cowboys ended with head coach Brian Schottenheimer thinking about more than just the team’s elimination.

Dallas has now become the first ever team to play on Thursdays four times in one season. Although fans may enjoy having extra football to watch, it could come at a cost.

In his post-game press conference, the head coach was asked about his thoughts on playing on Thursdays and how he prepared the team for these games. Schottenheimer claimed that this was “unique.”

“Well, I mean, the fact that we’re the first team to ever play four is certainly unique,” Schottenheimer said. “It’s never happened before, so that’s interesting.”

He continued, “You play Philly, and then you have a normal seven-day routine. I do think, doing it every year, we know how to process it, we know the right way to game plan, and kind of how to do that. We know how to practice and be smart with their bodies.”

The Cowboys kicked off the season with a Thursday night game against the Philadelphia Eagles on September 4. Since then, they have played two more Thursday games against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3 and the Detroit Lions in Week 4. Their next game against the Washington Commanders will mark their fourth Thursday night game of the season.

Both the Commanders and the Cowboys are out of the playoff race. However, make no mistake, Schottenheimer does not plan on changing his starting lineup, despite it not affecting the playoff qualification.

Brian Schottenheimer on injuries and final two games

Despite a lengthy list of injuries, the Cowboys’ head coach insisted that he will play his starters in the remaining games against the Washington Commanders and the New York Giants.

“We want to finish strong and want to build on the momentum,” Schottenheimer said. “We play a physical game. Everybody understands that. These guys, when they go out, they don’t think that way. They play. That’s what they’ve been taught to do since they were 5 years old. You just go, and you play.

“I’m not asking their opinion. We’re playing to win. But I guarantee you if I took a poll of guys in that locker room that wanted to play, every hand would shoot up, for all the reasons that I’ve said,” the head coach said. “They love one another. They know we’re building something special here. Quite honestly, we’d love to not have a losing record, and then potentially go 5-1 in the division.”

The same message was reflected by quarterback

Dak Prescott when he spoke about his inclusion in the final games of the season. In his last game against the Chargers, Prescott tied a franchise record after passing 4,000 passing yards this year. He was accompanied by George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, who surpassed 1,000 receiving yards this year.