Even Jerry Jones can't believe the 4-8 Cowboys are a game out of 1st place

The Cowboys are 4-8. Most seasons, that's reason for some in-season introspection, as well as a lot of finger-pointing that will inevitably lead to people losing their jobs. But this ain't most seasons. Yes, 4-8 still lands you in last place, even in the woeful NFC East, but the Cowboys are only one game out of first.
Which means that Dallas' playoff hopes and dreams remain very much alive, a development that is as exciting as unexpected for owner Jerry Jones.
“I would have never dreamed this,” Jones admitted after the Cowboys beat the Redskins on Monday Night Football. “You can say it speaks to parity and I guess it does. We are fortunate and we've got to get better. We play [Washington] again. We've got some tough road games ahead of us. So we have a lot of work to do if we want to keep our head up. This sure was a good feeling.”
That said, even the ever-optimistic owner knows that a lot has to go right for the Cowboys over the final month of the season.
"We won on will out there tonight and not on tactical mastery," Jones said, via the Dallas Morning News. "That's not a criticism, but that's where we are a as a team."
Upside: the Cowboys finally won a game with someone other than Tony Romo under center, but it's not like Matt Cassel was suddenly anything other than below replacement level (just ask Dez). And maybe that's why Jones is trying to keep it all in perspective.
"I look at it as 4-8," the owner said. "And won't look at it any differently as we move up the ladder, until something really special happens. I'd like to see us get on the north side of some turnovers one time. If we saw that happen, with the kind of effort our team is giving, then you could get excited about this thing."
But should the Cowboys find their way to the postseason, there's a chance Romo could return from injury (again). It's why Jones didn't place his 35-year-old quarter on injured reserve after Romo suffered his second broken clavicle of the season during the Thanksgiving Day loss to the Panthers. (Related: Remember last week when we all thought it was hilarious when Jones did that?)