The ball comes in hot off the hand of quarterback Dak Prescott and finds wide receiver Amari Cooper. The defender falls in front of him, and the field opens up, leaving 35 free yards and no chance for anyone to catch up to his speed after the catch. The next drive on the field, he scored another touchdown. This one going for 90 yards. These touchdowns signified the Dallas Cowboys’ third-straight win and their first place ranking in the NFC East.

After a hopeless 3-5 record to start the season, the Cowboys have consecutively won their last three games and have given themselves a legitimate shot at winning the NFC East. The wins have put America’s Team at 6-5 and atop of their division. They led the New York Giants by three games, the Philadelphia Eagles by one and the Washington Redskins with a divisional win. While the division is still anyone’s for the taking, the Cowboys’ recent resurgence has given them the best shot to make the postseason.

The Cowboys’ hopes don’t lie solely in their record and divisional standing. Since their trade for Amari Cooper, they look like a much better offense–maybe even a legitimate playoff contender, as their record implies.

Cooper has been the team’s leading receiving option in all but one game, since his addition to The Cowboys’ team. Cooper’s presence has not only benefited him, but it has also opened up the field for Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott.

Elliot has logged over 100 rushing yards in nearly all games played, since Cooper’s addition to the field. Prescott has eclipsed 200 total yards in every game since Cooper has been in Dallas– something he’s struggled with since last season. The team already had a stout defense, limiting high powered offenses like the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles. With the addition of Cooper, it looks like the offense is finally catching up.

The Cowboys will have to keep their dominant run on both sides of the ball intact if they want to have a chance this Thursday against the seemingly unstoppable New Orleans Saints. The Saints have averaged the highest points per game in the NFL at 37.2 and are middle of the pack at 15th in points allowed with 23.3.

After this tough matchup, the Cowboys can look forward to a considerably favorable schedule. The Indianapolis Colts and Eagles are the only two teams in their upcoming schedule who are comparable to the Cowboys in terms of their record. The Colts share a 6-5 record and the Eagles are one game back, as previously stated.

Other than that, they will face what looks like easy matchups in the Giants and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The two most crucial games of this upcoming schedule will be the divisional matchups of the Giants and the Eagles.

While the NFC East is still a tight race, things are pointing in the right direction for the Cowboys to find themselves in the playoffs this year.