Joining the party on Thursday was veteran wideout Brandin Cooks, who returned to the starting lineup after missing nearly two months with a knee injury. Cooks played a vital role, hauling in a third-quarter TD and the game-sealing third-down conversion. Though late to the proceedings in a season that looked like it was getting away from Dallas, Cooks saw Thursday night’s victory as a turning point.

“It’s huge,” Cooks told NFL Network’s Jane Slater. “At the end of the day, it’s the NFL, it’s any given Sunday. The Giants are a great team, don’t get it wrong. Drew Lock came out, played his game. We’re down some guys. But to be able to get a win at home and to be able to keep that momentum going from last week, I think it’s extremely important, especially going into this mini-bye.”

At 5-7, Dallas enters Sunday’s slate two games behind the 7-5 Commanders, whom the Cowboys defeated in Week 12, for the final wild-card spot in the competitive NFC. Dallas doesn’t play its next game until Monday, Dec. 9, a home clash against the Bengals. After that, the Cowboys have two games against NFC South opponents (at Panthers, vs. Buccaneers) and then close out with two unpredictable bouts against division rivals (at Eagles, vs. Commanders).

The likelihood of the Cowboys turning this heretofore lost season around is low; Next Gen Stats says Dallas has merely a 4% chance to make it back to the postseason.

But don’t tell these Cowboys — or their optimistic owner — the odds.

“Well, where we are, I haven’t really had time to think past even the quarter, as far as can we get us a win,” owner Jerry Jones told reporters. “This is the NFL. Any team can give you the loss. But bottom line is I’m glad to get this one. We’ve got Cincinnati coming up. We’ll be better.

“The bottom line is I see improvement, and with improvement, then we got teams ahead of us that we can [beat].”