<
>

Cowboys won't have to leave AT&T Stadium to get to Super Bowl LI

FRISCO, Texas – In order to get to Super Bowl LI in Houston, the Dallas Cowboys will not have to leave AT&T Stadium.

With the Philadelphia Eagles beating the New York Giants 24-19 on Thursday night, the 12-2 Cowboys clinched home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, regardless of how they fare in their final two games. The Cowboys also earned their second NFC East title in the last three years.

So what do the Cowboys do now?

Earlier Thursday, coach Jason Garrett refused to discuss the possibility of resting players in the final two games, putting his focus on the practice instead.

The Cowboys have a number of players nursing injuries. Left tackle Tyron Smith (back, knee), defensive end Tyrone Crawford (shoulder, hamstring), defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (back), cornerback Morris Claiborne (groin), linebacker Justin Durant (elbow) and defensive tackle Cedric Thornton (ankle) did not practice Thursday.

Claiborne has missed the last seven games because of injury and would like to get some game action before the playoffs. Lawrence did not play last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and will likely be held out until the playoffs anyway.

In 2014 the Cowboys had their playoff positioning solidified in the Week 17 finale against the Washington Redskins. Tony Romo played 57 of 63 snaps and DeMarco Murray, broken hand and all, had 22 carries in his 31 snaps.

With three weeks before their first playoff game, Garrett will have to decide whether the rest will be worth the possible rust when they get to the divisional round of the playoffs on Jan. 14 or 15.