The Dallas Cowboys are 8-6 following the win in Arlington over the reviled Pittsburgh Steelers. Dallas is now positioned to make a run at the playoffs. If the Cowboys win the final two games, they win the NFC East. Dallas could also win the division with a win over Washington and one more loss by New York.

Considering that the Cowboys started the season 3-5, this turnaround is nothing short of remarkable. Dallas has won five of the last six games. During that time, there have been some performances of note.

Bryant has obviously raised the level of his play, averaging over 6 receptions per game for more than 97 yards and 1.33 touchdowns. Witten continues to play strong, with an average of 6.5 catches per game for just over 64 yards. Murray's presence has been felt, as play action passing has returned to the Dallas arsenal.

The star of the team, however, has been Tony Romo. Unequivocally, the play of Romo has driven this Cowboys team, which has now scored 177 points over the last six games (an average of 29.5 points per game).

Romo's numbers compares with some of the best quarterbacks to win Super Bowls in the recent past. The respective NFL rankings are in parentheses.

What makes Romo's accomplishments even more impressive is the fact that only eight quarterbacks have been sacked more than Tony. Considering that Tony is phenomenal at buying time and creating down field opportunities, the number of sacks he should have is a fraction of what another elite quarterback would have behind this Cowboys offensive line.

The perceived image of Tony Romo is that he spreads the ball around to his targets. When compared to other top six passing attacks, it is obvious that Romo relies on his top three guys more than other elite quarterbacks.

There is only one team in the NFL with three players in the top 20 in receiving yardage: the Dallas Cowboys. Dez Bryant has the 10th most receiving yards, Jason Witten is 17th (1st among tight ends), and Miles Austin rounds out the trio, ranked 19th in the NFL. The Cowboys are ranked 4th in offensive passing yards.

The next best trio of receivers belongs to Atlanta and New Orleans. Teams such as Detroit (1), New England (3), and Denver (6) rank in the top six in passing yardage, but rely heavily on one receiver (Calvin Johnson, Wes Welker, and Demaryius Thomas). New Orleans (2) and Atlanta (5) have three main targets.

Tony Romo is leading this team down the stretch. The Cowboys are in position to claim the NFC East for the second consecutive season. At this time last season, Dallas was 8-6, after just defeating the underachieving Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Romo was also on fire in 2011, but was betrayed by the cast around him.

In 2012, the Cowboys are a severely depleted team. Only three teams in the NFL have more players on Injured Reserve at this time (Jacksonville, Indianapolis, and Carolina). None of those teams, however, have the amount of starters the Cowboys have on IR (6).

With so much change on the roster, the constant through the last six games has been the play of Tony Romo. If this team makes it into the playoffs, it will be because of their quarterback. Any chance of winning once in the playoffs also rests on the broad shoulders of the Cowboys' quarterback.

This team will go as far as Romo can carry them.

That is our quarterback.

Somewhere, Owens is likely shedding a tear...