Beating Rams has meaning for Cowboys

~ Even if Dallas can't make the playoffs, the Cowboys would like to get 10 wins in what may be Parcells' last season.

IRVING, Texas -- Before kickoff against the St. Louis Rams tonight, the Dallas Cowboys will know whether they are playing for a playoff spot or merely the pride of finishing 10-6 a year after going 6-10.

The Cowboys insist they'll give their best effort regardless of what's at stake.

The bigger challenge? Enduring the hours leading up to it, when other games will determine Dallas' playoff chances.

Carolina or Washington must lose to keep open one of the wild cards. The Panthers play an early afternoon game against Atlanta, then the Redskins play Philadelphia in a 3:15 p.m. start.

Another scenario required losses by the New York Giants (at Oakland, late Saturday night) and Tampa Bay (vs. New Orleans, noon today), but it's far more complicated because it invokes the strength of victory tiebreaker. That formula uses the winning percentage of teams they've beaten, and the Cowboys and Giants both have to top the Buccaneers for Dallas to make it.

Before the anxious afternoon of scoreboard watching, the Cowboys were expected to spend Saturday night and this morning at a team hotel. They'll scatter after breakfast and a meeting, leaving everyone to handle the uncontrollable in their own way.

"I'm not going to expend any energy on it," Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said. "But I'm sure we'll pay a little bit of attention to it."

If the Cowboys win 10 games and miss the playoffs, they'd join a short list of teams that has happened to since the NFL went to six qualifiers per conference in 1990. The only others are Miami in 2003, and Philadelphia and San Francisco in 1991, although more teams are at risk this season, too.

"Most of the time, 10 wins gets you like the fourth seed, third seed," receiver Keyshawn Johnson said.

"Last year, a couple of teams got in with eight [wins]," Parcells said. "This year, we're not that fortunate."

Getting in would keep Dallas from dwelling on all the could'ves, should'ves and would'ves from a season that included five losses by a touchdown or less. With a play made here or there, the Cowboys might be playing for the division title or even a first-round bye.

Then again, with six wins by that same slim margin -- including a 24-20 victory at Carolina last week that was greatly aided by a questionable penalty -- they also can be thankful to be this close to the postseason.

Also looming for Dallas is the question of whether this will be Parcells' last game on the sideline.

With one year left on his contract, there's been speculation he might retire and counter-speculation about an extension. He's refused to take a stance, even teasingly saying he's made up his mind but won't divulge it.

The members of the Parcells alumni club in the locker room have been through all this before. Their only surprise is that it didn't kick up until this week.

Defensive tackle Jason Ferguson, who played for Parcells on the New York Jets, even tried heading it off when negotiating a five-year contract with Dallas in March.

"That was one of my big questions, 'What are you going to do? You going to be here long enough?'" Ferguson said. "The answer was, 'Hey, how good you're going to play is how long I'm going to be here.' So I got that curveball, too."

The Rams (5-10) are dealing with their own season-ending issues.

Coach Mike Martz almost certainly won't be back; he's been gone the last 10 games because of health problems anyway. Running back Marshall Faulk also is expected to leave, likely retiring.

St. Louis has lost four straight and six of seven. The only win came over Houston. In their last game, the Rams blew a 20-7 lead at home against San Francisco.

Jamie Martin threw for a career-best 354 yards against the 49ers to earn another start. He'll be facing a Cowboys secondary slowed by injuries to safety Roy Williams and cornerback Anthony Henry. Both might play, though likely not at full strength.

If this is Faulk's last game, St. Louis might want to send him out in style. He's 59 yards from passing Jim Brown for No. 8 on the NFL career rushing list.

His successor, Steven Jackson, is eyeing a big game to prove the Cowboys wrong for not taking him in the 2003 draft. Dallas went with Julius Jones.

"Someone in that organization thought I wasn't good enough," Jackson said. "It's worked out for both teams."