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Cowboys drop season's
final game to lowly Rams



IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Once the <a
href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/clubhouse?team=dal">Dallas Cowboys</a> ran out of ways to make the playoffs about an
hour before their season finale, the only question left was whether they'd have
any fight left against the <a
href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/clubhouse?team=stl">St. Louis Rams</a>.

Nope.

The
Cowboys allowed <a
href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5716">Aveion Cason</a> and <a
href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6613">Arlen Harris</a> to run for their first touchdowns
since 2003 and scored the fewest points against the Rams this season in a 20-10
loss Sunday night.

"I
think we were a little deflated mentally, especially our offensive group,"
Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said. "We just seemed to not be on edge in
light of what happened today, probably."

The
game was rendered meaningless when Washington beat Philadelphia and eliminated Dallas from the wild-card chase. A Carolina victory over Atlanta earlier in the day cut
off another potential path to the playoffs. A long-shot scenario had fizzled
when the <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/clubhouse?team=nyg">New York Giants</a> won Saturday night.

Despite
all the Cowboys (9-7) had done to prepare for this game in case they were
playing for a playoff berth, they showed none of the "spunk" Parcells
praised them for having only a week earlier.

"The
atmosphere tonight was totally different," safety <a
href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6269">Keith Davis</a> said. "If I told you it wasn't,
I'd be lying. But it wasn't the Eagles, it wasn't Atlanta -- it was us. We were
in too many close games all year long. I don't point the finger at anybody but
the Dallas Cowboys."

Dallas went 6-5 in games decided by a
touchdown or less. This one was headed to balancing that slate until St. Louis' <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=3082">Jeff Wilkins</a> kicked a 20-yard field goal with
1:05 left, making this the second-worst margin of defeat for the Cowboys all
season.

Now
the wait begins to find out whether Parcells is coming back for the final
season of his 4-year, $17 million contract. He wouldn't say what he's doing or
when he'll meet with team owner Jerry Jones to discuss it.

"I
just got to get away from it a little while," Parcells said.

Jones
told ESPN during an in-game interview, "I hope that we can continue what
we've got started here." In the somber locker room afterward, Jones said,
"You know how I feel about the job he's done."

Under
Parcells, the Cowboys are 25-24 in three years, a big turnaround from 15-33 the
three previous seasons.

St.
Louis (6-10) ended a
four-game losing streak and won for only the second time in its last eight
games. It may be a going-away present for <a
href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=2728">Marshall Faulk</a>, who got his first start of the
season, and coach Mike Martz, who has missed the last 11 games because of
health problems and is believed to be on his way out.

"The
guys played with a lot of passion," interim coach Joe Vitt said.
"They practiced well the last four weeks and had nothing to show for it.
I'm proud that they got this win."

The
Rams came in averaging a league-worst 27.9 points per game and were near the
bottom in total defense and run defense. They didn't look like that this time, holding
Dallas to 271 yards and a season-low 57 yards rushing.

The
Cowboys scored an early touchdown, but couldn't do much right for long after
that. They went sack, fumble, sack on a second-quarter drive, then started a
third-quarter possession with a false start; a holding penalty that wiped out a
decent run; then a sack by an unblocked defender on third down. Many fans
missed that play, however, because they were doing the wave.

All
Dallas could get over the last 3½ quarters was a 22-yard field goal by <a
href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=7527">Shaun Suisham</a> with 3 seconds left in the half
that tied the game at 10. He missed way right on a 47-yarder with 9:28 left.

The
Rams got a 49-yard field goal by Wilkins, an 8-yard touchdown run by Cason, who
hadn't taken a handoff all season until this game, and a 1-yarder by Harris
that made it 17-10 early in the fourth quarter.

Cason
and Harris got so much prime action because <a
href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6783">Steven Jackson</a> was inactive, the same reason
Faulk started. Cason gained 65 yards, Faulk 25 and Harris 15.

Faulk
said afterward that he hasn't given any thought to whether he'll be back next
season.

"I
think it's unfair to even speculate on any decision because I haven't made
one," he said.

Dallas' <a
href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6802">Julius Jones</a> gained 35 yards a week after
gaining 194. He fell 7 yards shy of 1,000, missing the chance to join his brother
Thomas of Chicago, and to be the first Cowboys player to crack that milestone
since <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=821">Emmitt Smith</a> in 2001.

<a
href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=2359">Drew Bledsoe</a> finished his first season in Dallas going 18-of-39 for 242 yards, giving him the second-best season in team history
(3,639). However, he also lost his NFL-worst eighth fumble and threw two
interceptions, the first setting up Wilkins' final field goal, the last coming
on the Cowboys' final snap of the season.

Game notes

<a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=3499">Keyshawn Johnson</a> caught five passes for 97
yards, then was the last player to leave the Dallas bench, a sour look on his
face. ... Wilkins hit the left upright on a 27-yarder and narrowly missed from
53 yards after a strange intentional grounding penalty tacked 10 yards onto the
attempt. ... St. Louis beat a winning team for only the second time.

<table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=1 cellpadding=0 align=left
width=200 style='width:150.0pt;background:black;margin-bottom:2.25pt'>
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<td style='padding:2.25pt 2.25pt 2.25pt 2.25pt'>
It was over when ...
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</tr>
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<td width=198 valign=top style='width:148.6pt;background:#ECECEC;padding:
2.25pt 2.25pt 2.25pt 2.25pt'>
O.J. Atogwe returned a Drew Bledsoe
interception 42 yards to the Dallas 3 with just over two minutes to go and
the Rams leading 17-10. Four plays later, Jeff Wilkins' 20-yard field goal
gave St. Louis a 10-point cushion with little more than a minute to play. 
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='padding:2.25pt 2.25pt 2.25pt 2.25pt'>
Game ball goes to ...
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=198 valign=top style='width:148.6pt;background:#ECECEC;padding:
2.25pt 2.25pt 2.25pt 2.25pt'>
Rams quarterback Jamie Martin. Despite not
throwing a touchdown, Martin completed passes to nine different receivers and
directed a St. Louis offense that did not turn the ball over. 
</td>
</tr>
</table>



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