They need a win. Not only to save their season, but some of their jobs. A victory over the Giants won't get them into the playoffs, but a loss would all but eliminate them from contention.

"Our backs are to the wall," quarterback Tony Romo said.

Both teams have something on the line. The Giants could be playing for a first-round bye and are certain to be playing toward home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. But the Cowboys, they're playing for, well, everything.

"We understand that," Giants linebacker Danny Clark said. "That team is definitely going to be biting, scratching and clawing to stay in the race. We're going to get their best shot ever and we have to go out there and match their intensity."

Even coach Tom Coughlin, who hardly ever publicly speculates about the mindset of opposing teams, recognized the dire situation Dallas finds itself in.

"There's no question that when a team comes together and decides that these games decide whether or not they are going to be allowed to continue to play or get in the playoffs, there is a huge factor along those lines," he said.

This isn't the first time the Giants will be facing a desperate opponent. Last week the Eagles came in needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. They left with a 20-14 victory over the Giants.

"They came in and played like they had everything to play for," Barry Cofield said of the Eagles.

Maybe the Giants know how the Cowboys are feeling because they were in the same spot last year. No, they were never in a win-or-else regular-season game. But they were among the teams fighting for the two wild-card playoff spots.

This year, though, it's the Cowboys who are on the bubble.

"It's definitely possible to still win a Super Bowl from where we are at," Romo said. "And it's definitely possible not to win a Super Bowl from where the Giants are at. Now does that mean that we are in better shape? No.

"The Giants obviously have a leg up and the percentages are in their favor. But a lot can happen in this game, especially in the three-week amount of time."

If the season were to end now, the Cowboys would be the No.6 seed in the NFC. But the season doesn't end now. After a loss to the Steelers on Sunday, the Cowboys still have to face the Giants, Ravens and Eagles. They have the toughest three games remaining.

Plus, they are dealing with the expectations that ushered them into this season as Super Bowl favorites.

That's a lot of pressure, and if the Cowboys have shown anything in recent years, it's that they don't react well to pressure. They haven't won a playoff game with Romo as their quarterback and they are 4-7 in the last two Decembers and Januarys.

"I think the team understands that this is the week, we feel like we're in a playoff game," Romo said. "We really had felt like that for a little while now. It's just a matter that this sense of urgency is at an all-time high now."

That, and the talented roster the Cowboys have, makes them dangerous for the Giants. Which is even more of a reason for the Giants to want to knock their archrivals out of playoff contention. If they can beat the Cowboys this week, they likely won't have to worry about facing them in January.

"No question a team like that could be dangerous in the playoffs," Brandon Jacobs said. "But we're not worried about that right now. We're just trying to go out and win this Football game."

And if it happens to knock the Cowboys out of the picture? If the Giants eliminate the Cowboys for a second straight year? Don't expect a lot of tears from the Giants.

Sunday

Giants at

Cowboys

8:15 p.m.

TV: Ch. 4

Radio: WFAN (660)