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Pieces fall into place for showdown, race to wire

04:09 AM CST on Tuesday, November 29, 2005

By TODD ARCHER / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING – Most of them watched games Sunday. Some were into it a little more than others. Some just wanted to be entertained.

Coach Bill Parcells took mental notes. Nose tackle Jason Ferguson caught bits and pieces of games through bits and pieces of sleep. Running back Julius Jones found himself jumping up and down and even doing a voodoo hex on several field goal attempts.

"I cheered for the Bills, too," Jones said, "but they didn't pull it out."

Buffalo's 13-9 loss to Carolina was about the only thing that did not go well for the Cowboys on Sunday. They needed Seattle to beat the New York Giants, and the Seahawks came through in overtime. They needed Chicago to beat Tampa Bay, a potential wild-card threat, and the Bears did.

"I think we got quite a bit of help yesterday around the league, in my opinion," coach Bill Parcells said Monday.

Even with their disheartening overtime loss to Denver on Thanksgiving, the Cowboys (7-4) find themselves in the same position as they were before Thursday: in first place in the NFC East because of their earlier win against the Giants (7-4) at Texas Stadium.

Throughout the season Parcells said to wait until Thanksgiving before getting into the Cowboys' playoff chances. Some leftovers may remain in the fridge, but Thanksgiving is gone.

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"Well, we have a chance," Parcells said. "That's what I know. We've got to play good. We've got some tough games coming up. I think you start out with 32 teams, and I think two or three of the divisions are pretty much over, but this isn't one of them. So I think this is going to go pretty far down the road before it's resolved."

Sunday's game at Giants Stadium is the biggest this rivalry has seen since the 1993 season. The Cowboys won that game, 16-13, in overtime to finish 12-4, win the NFC East and home-field advantage and begin their march to a second straight Super Bowl victory.

"This week will go by fast because of your anticipation till Sunday," nose tackle La'Roi Glover said. "Guys are a little more upbeat in practice, a little more upbeat in preparing. You know what it means to play in games like these."

So does Parcells.

Glover said the Cowboys' style of play – stout defense, ball-control offense – should serve them well down the stretch. Jones believes it helps that they've played so many close games already.

Parcells' history also suggests the Cowboys will be ready for the final stretch. In regular-season games in December and January, Parcells has a 43-25 record with the Giants, New England, New York Jets and Cowboys.

"Both in managing your team and your practices and preparing them strategically, you have to decide a lot of things this time of year – how hard you are going to work them, all of those things," Parcells said. "And you have to try to gauge your team. But you can't just back off them because then you have a tendency to regress. It's a fine line in being sharp."

Former-turned-current Parcells players, such as wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, Ferguson and cornerback Aaron Glenn, said the coach has more physical practices later in the year.

As a result, the practices are harder than the games in some ways.

"I've always known him to go with his horses late in the year whatever those horses are," said Johnson, who leads the Cowboys with 53 catches.

"He looks more into individual matchups late in the year because people tend to get tired, worn down, beat down; so the opposition's weakness, I've known him to attack."

Cowboys (7-4) at NY Giants (7-4), noon Sunday, Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J. (Ch. 4)