NFL

BIG D-CIDER

The 8-5 Cowboys will be fighting for their playoff lives on Sunday, while the 11-2 Giants will be trying to re-establish themselves as the team to beat.

NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth says he’s not ready to abandon the Giants’ Super Bowl bandwagon – yet – following Big Blue’s 20-14 home loss to the Eagles this past Sunday, the team’s first defeat since finding out Plaxico Burress was out for the season.

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“They are still the favorites,” Collinsworth said. “But … a week ago, there was no doubt. Now this is a pretty significant game in my mind, deciding if that is really true or not.”

The Giants already know they will be without Burress for the season, but it’s the future of Brandon Jacobs that has Collinsworth concerned.

The running back has a knee injury and missed the Giants’ win over the Cardinals three weeks ago. He also was forced out of the Eagles game.

“Have they now gotten to the point where they are quite far from what they once were?” Collinsworth wondered. “I don’t want to make that assumption off of one bad-weather game. But if they go down against the Cowboys and they struggle running the football, now you start thinking, ‘Uh-oh.’ “

They will get no sympathy from the Cowboys.

Dallas has dealt with quarterback Tony Romo’s broken thumb, Terrell Owens’ hurt feelings, the troubles of Adam “Pac Man” Jones and now owner Jerry Jones accusing Marion Barber of not being tough enough after the running back sat out last week’s loss against the Steelers with a dislocated little toe – an injury that may keep him out Sunday night, too.

Despite all their problems, the Cowboys still are tied with the Falcons for the final wild-card spot. It’s a position they could have strengthened with a win over the Steelers, but they blew a 10-point lead and handed the Giants the NFC East title.

But as the Giants showed last year, all you have to do is make the playoffs and make a run.

“Dallas and Philadelphia are capable of winning the Super Bowl,” Collinsworth said. “If they got healthy, they certainly have that ability. The Cowboys have to beat the Giants, Ravens and Eagles. So, good luck.”

With a lot of the Giants’ key parts troubled, Collinsworth said, he believes the pressure falls on quarterback Eli Manning to lead his team like he did in last year’s playoffs.

“Now he has to become Peyton Manning,” Collinsworth said. “He has to be distributing the football, keeping guys off balance. He has to be what he was in Green Bay [in the NFC Championship Game], what he was in the Super Bowl on that last drive. He’s going to have to be the man now.”

And that has to start against the Cowboys on Sunday.

justin.terranova@nypost.com

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