Meaningless football? It might be to Dallas Cowboys fans watching who were hoping for a playoff berth but it's not for those players on the field.
Not only are they always fighting for their next job, in Dallas or elsewhere, but some even have contract incentives that will be defined in Week 18. Just ask Cooper Rush, who could miss out on a quarter million dollars if Dallas grants Trey Lance even one drive because of a snap count incentive.
Or, on a less prolific level, ask Linval Joseph, who could make an extra $100,000 in incentives with one play alone. With one sack, he'd reach three for the season, which would earn him the incentive amount, per Spotrac.
Now granted, that's a difficult play to come by for a nose tackle. Joseph has a 24% snap count going into Week 18, too, which means he won't have plenty of opportunities to get the job done.
The good news for the Cowboys is that the Washington Commanders will likely come out with an aggressive passing attack as they're still fighting for improved seeding in the playoffs. If they were to end up as the seventh seed, they'd be lined up to face the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round, something they likely want to avoid despite beating them the last time they shared the field.
Additionally, starting nose tackle Mazi Smith popped up on Thursday's injury report with a pelvis injury. He was listed as a limited participant.
It won't be easy for Joseph to record a sack but oddly enough, if he does, he'd likely have to do it by going through former Cowboys center Tyler Biadasz. Joseph also had non-cumulative incentives for reaching five sacks ($225,000) and seven sacks ($375,000). The amounts would've doubled if the team had reached the postseason.
