[TomWilkinson]

The Dallas Cowboys have gone from looking good with a 7-3 record to having an 8-6 record and needing to win their last two games, just 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. "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."

The Cowboys have to start with a win Saturday at NFC South-leading Carolina (10-4), which 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 Carolina, the Cowboys face the pitiful Rams at home on New Year’s Day. It may not matter who the Cowboys are playing if they continue to show no emotion. The Cowboys lost at Washington in a rout. "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."

"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."