On their game-winning drive, the Cowboys maintained possession at midfield only after referee Gene Steratore knelt down and found no space when he slipped a folded piece of paper between the nose of the football and the first down marker.

In the final minute, David Carr scrambled, dove for the end zone and stretched the ball toward the pylon, only to lose control when safety James Heath hit him.

By a matter of millimeters, the Cowboys Stayed Alive for the return of running back Ezekiel Elliott, who missed the last six games serving a suspension stemming from domestic assault accusations.

If the Cowboys can handle their end of the bargain and win their final two games — home for the Seahawks and at the Eagles, who could have the top seed clinched by then — those odds would bump up to 51 percent, a virtual coin flip.

>>> Jerry Richardson announced he will sell the Carolina Panthers at the end of the season in the wake of allegations of workplace misconduct and the NFL’s launching of an investigation, Mark Maske writes .