Our Dallas Cowboys Still Have Shot at Playoffs
By STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Sports Writer
IRVING, Texas (AP) -- A miserable month of games has taken the Dallas Cowboys from the division lead to wild-card outsiders. From a 7-3 record to having to win their last two games for a chance to make the playoffs.
"You know if you don't do something in a big hurry, it's all going to slip away," center Al Johnson said Wednesday. "We need to do something about it to make it stop. We got ourselves in it. We've got to get ourselves out of it."
By losing three of their last four games, the Cowboys (8-6) have left themselves no more room for error. They've got to start with a win Saturday at NFC South-leading Carolina (10-4), which itself hasn't clinched a playoff spot yet.
"We hate that we squandered off a great chance that we had," defensive back Aaron Glenn said. "The thing is, once you're in, you're in and it doesn't matter how we get in. ... The fact is, we still have a chance to get in."
After the Panthers, Dallas ends the regular season at home against the St. Louis Rams on New Year's Day.
The last time Dallas played Carolina was in the 2003 NFC wild-card round, a 29-10 loss that ended coach Bill Parcells' first season. That was the third first-round playoff elimination for the Cowboys since the 1996 season, a year after their last Super Bowl.
That playoff loss to the Panthers came six weeks after a regular-season victory over Carolina, the Cowboys' eighth win in 2003, which prompted an emotional proclamation from Parcells that they couldn't be called losers anymore.
But they went 6-10 last season, and have let all the momentum of their strong start this year slip away. Even in their lone win over the past month, Kansas City missed a field goal on the final play of the game that would have forced overtime.
Asked Wednesday if, after his 10-win Dallas debut season, he thought it would take this long to get back into position of possibly going back to the playoffs, Parcells was somewhat evasive.
"How do I know? I don't have a crystal ball. I don't know," Parcells said. "I know we have a better team now than when I came here. I know that. So, that's what I know."
His assessment obviously isn't based on the last month, which included Sunday's 35-7 loss at Washington (8-6). That was the most lopsided loss ever against the Redskins, who with a season sweep own a vital tiebreaker over the Cowboys should they end with the same record.
"It should have never happened," defensive end Greg Ellis said. "When you're 7-3, you don't imagine that you're going to lose as many games as we have. We need to get it back on track. It's a now-or-never thing."
At 7-3, the Cowboys were tied with the Giants for the NFC East lead, having already won a game against New York. They remained even after both lost 24-21 in overtime on Thanksgiving weekend, the Cowboys to Denver and the Giants in Seattle, before playing each other.
The Giants (10-4), who also haven't clinched a playoff spot, took control of the NFC East and started its current three-game winning streak with a 17-10 win over Dallas on Dec. 4.
"It is disappointing, to let these games slip down the stretch. That's when you have to play your best football," tight end Jason Witten said. "But to be in a situation, where we've still got a chance, that gives us a little bit of hope. ... If we can win those, we've still got a good chance."
AP Sports Writer
IRVING, Texas (AP) -- A miserable month of games has taken the Dallas Cowboys from the division lead to wild-card outsiders. From a 7-3 record to having to win their last two games for a chance to make the playoffs.
"You know if you don't do something in a big hurry, it's all going to slip away," center Al Johnson said Wednesday. "We need to do something about it to make it stop. We got ourselves in it. We've got to get ourselves out of it."
By losing three of their last four games, the Cowboys (8-6) have left themselves no more room for error. They've got to start with a win Saturday at NFC South-leading Carolina (10-4), which itself hasn't clinched a playoff spot yet.
"We hate that we squandered off a great chance that we had," defensive back Aaron Glenn said. "The thing is, once you're in, you're in and it doesn't matter how we get in. ... The fact is, we still have a chance to get in."
After the Panthers, Dallas ends the regular season at home against the St. Louis Rams on New Year's Day.
The last time Dallas played Carolina was in the 2003 NFC wild-card round, a 29-10 loss that ended coach Bill Parcells' first season. That was the third first-round playoff elimination for the Cowboys since the 1996 season, a year after their last Super Bowl.
That playoff loss to the Panthers came six weeks after a regular-season victory over Carolina, the Cowboys' eighth win in 2003, which prompted an emotional proclamation from Parcells that they couldn't be called losers anymore.
But they went 6-10 last season, and have let all the momentum of their strong start this year slip away. Even in their lone win over the past month, Kansas City missed a field goal on the final play of the game that would have forced overtime.
Asked Wednesday if, after his 10-win Dallas debut season, he thought it would take this long to get back into position of possibly going back to the playoffs, Parcells was somewhat evasive.
"How do I know? I don't have a crystal ball. I don't know," Parcells said. "I know we have a better team now than when I came here. I know that. So, that's what I know."
His assessment obviously isn't based on the last month, which included Sunday's 35-7 loss at Washington (8-6). That was the most lopsided loss ever against the Redskins, who with a season sweep own a vital tiebreaker over the Cowboys should they end with the same record.
"It should have never happened," defensive end Greg Ellis said. "When you're 7-3, you don't imagine that you're going to lose as many games as we have. We need to get it back on track. It's a now-or-never thing."
At 7-3, the Cowboys were tied with the Giants for the NFC East lead, having already won a game against New York. They remained even after both lost 24-21 in overtime on Thanksgiving weekend, the Cowboys to Denver and the Giants in Seattle, before playing each other.
The Giants (10-4), who also haven't clinched a playoff spot, took control of the NFC East and started its current three-game winning streak with a 17-10 win over Dallas on Dec. 4.
"It is disappointing, to let these games slip down the stretch. That's when you have to play your best football," tight end Jason Witten said. "But to be in a situation, where we've still got a chance, that gives us a little bit of hope. ... If we can win those, we've still got a good chance."
posted by The Gryphon at 9:22 AM
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