IRVING, Texas -- You can ask the question however you choose. Coach Jason Garrett's answer will never change.
Garrett isn't interested in the Dallas Cowboys' odds of making the playoffs, and he doesn't want to talk about whether Sunday's game will determine the NFC East champion.
All he wants is for the Cowboys to prepare this week to play their best football on Sunday. If they do that and win, Garrett figures everything else will work itself out.
"We don't spend a lot of time o what other people are doing," Garrett said. "We just focus on ourselves and what we need to do."
Still, if the Cowboys lose this game they'll essentially trail the Philadelphia Eagles by two games with two games to play. That would make it extremely difficult to win the division.
"This is a game that we have to go up there and play our best football. It starts with our preparation on Tuesday, putting good days together, and don't worry about anything else."
This is one of those things that sounds easier said than done. After all, football is an emotional game and the players don't live in a vacuum. They understand what's at stake, and they certainly understand the challenge, considering they lost 33-10 to Philadelphia a couple of weeks ago.
"One of our jobs as coaches is to try to help our team think the right way. A lot of that is taking care of the process along the way," Garrett said. "Get locked into this drill or this rep or whatever it is to give ourselves the best chance to play our best on Sunday night and we'll continue to reinforce that message."
The Cowboys have missed the playoffs each of the past four seasons. Win their last three games and that streak will end.
"The biggest thing we have to do is focus on ourselves," Garrett said. "We control our destiny as a team and if we focus on doing what we need to do to play our best football, then everything will be fine."