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Most important remaining game: Jan. 2 vs. Cardinals

With nearly a four-game lead in the NFC East, it's difficult to say any of the four remaining division games are the biggest games. Dec. 2 at New Orleans is pretty big for conference purposes, but the biggest is the Cardinals matchup, because home field advantage in the NFC could be up for grabs. The Cowboys might feel like they owe Arizona a little too after they were throttled 38-10 at AT&T Stadium a year ago. The Cowboys still have some business they must tend to for that game to be as big as it possibly can be, but if they want to be real contenders, they will be in position to lay claim to the top spot in the conference. -- Todd Archer

You don't want to play an angry Cowboys team. A week after getting blown out by the Broncos in one of the most surprising outcomes of the season, Dallas returned the favor against a Falcons team that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. After the 43-3 demolition -- a game in which Dallas took a 36-3 lead into halftime -- Jerry Jones said he couldn't remember a more dominant performance in his 30-plus years as owner. The win -- paired with a Cardinals loss to the Panthers -- moves the Cowboys one game out of the top spot in the NFC as they hit a critical juncture in their schedule with matchups against the Chiefs, Raiders and Saints over a 12-day span. Buckle up.

The offense got cranked up again against Atlanta, which is what we expected to see. They will be tough to beat come playoff time.

High cotton for a club that probably played its most complete game in decades after throttling Atlanta by 40. But as nearly insurmountable as Dallas' 3½-game lead in the NFC East looks, four of the next five are on the road -- starting in Kansas City.

Steal a player: Aaron Donald, Rams defensive tackle

What do you get for the holidays for an owner who has everything? The league's best interior lineman. There's hardly any room to squeeze in another offensive weapon on Dallas' roster, and defensive end, linebacker and secondary seem just fine. Coming off a 43-3 win, Dallas doesn't appear to have many weaknesses, but adding Donald wouldn't hurt.