Will Dallas Cowboys Control Their Fate Heading Into Rams Tilt?

(Sports Network) - At some point roughly 90 minutes before they kick off with the St. Louis Rams at Texas Stadium on Sunday night, the Dallas Cowboys will finally have a handle on what their regular season finale truly means.

The Cowboys enter Week 17 with life in the playoff race, but that life is not in their own hands. The likes of the Redskins (at the Eagles) and Panthers (at the Falcons), and to a lesser extent the Buccaneers (vs. the Saints) and Giants (at the Raiders on Saturday), will determine whether Dallas will be playing for something on Sunday, and Bill Parcells and company will be resigned to rooting for all of the above to lose New Year's weekend. The easiest route to the playoffs for Dallas would involve a win over the Rams and a loss for either Carolina or Washington.

To even get themselves into this predicament, the Cowboys had to come from behind to take down the Panthers, 24-20, on the road last week. A controversial roughing-the-kicker call in the waning moments helped Dallas score the winning touchdown.

The Rams, meanwhile, will be resigned to the goal of playing spoiler and ending a tumultuous season on a high note. St. Louis dropped to 5-10 with a 24-20 home loss to the woeful 49ers last Saturday, the fourth straight loss and sixth in seven games for the team.