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Monday, December 8, 1997

NFC East keeps the heat on the Cowboys

DALLAS (AP) - The NFC East offered no help for the Dallas Cowboys' playoff chances Sunday as the New York Giants and Washington Redskins both won their games.

The Giants burned the Eagles 31-21 in Philadelphia, while the Redskins beat the Arizona Cardinals 38-28 in Tempe, Ariz.

The wins mean the Cowboys' playoff hopes, already down to a single thread, will slip from improbability to impossibility with another loss.

That knowledge should prove to be cold comfort as Dallas readies to host the Carolina Panthers Monday night.

In a mediocre year for the NFC East, none of the division's teams are competing for wild-card playoff berths. The division championship is the only door to the postseason.

The best the 6-7 Cowboys can hope for is a 9-7 season by winning all of their remaining three games.

Even that won't be enough, and there is where scenarios become complicated. The Giants (8-5-1) must lose their last two games, including the regular season finale at Texas Stadium, to fall to 8-7-1.

Washington (7-6-1) will have Dallas' fate in its hands when the Redskins face the Giants next week. A Giants win over Washington would eliminate Dallas. But if Washington wins its last two regular-season games, against New York and Philadelphia, the Redskins finish at 9-6-1.

For the Cowboys to advance into the playoffs, they must beat Carolina on Monday night, the Cincinnati Bengals next week and the Giants in the finale. But Dallas would need help from a Washington win over the Giants next week and a loss to Philadelphia (6-7-1) the week after.

That scenario would leave Dallas in first place at 9-7, followed by New York and Washington at 8-7-1 and Philadelphia at 8-7-1 or 7-8-1.

The nightmare of all nightmares would be if Philadelphia won its last two games, including the season finale over Washington; the Giants lost their last two games; and Dallas beat Carolina or Cincinnati and tied the other.

That would leave Dallas, New York, Washington and Philadelphia all with 8-7-1 records.