ARLINGTON — Dak Prescott surveyed the open space directly in front of him and considered running right through it. That would have been the safe play, and the smart one, too.

But much farther away, he caught sight of the white blur of a teammate’s jersey, darting into a shrinking window. Perhaps feeling invincible after two near-perfect weeks in a row, Prescott cocked his right arm and let loose.

“I was being too greedy,” Prescott said of a rare glaring mistake.

If there was a bright side to Prescott’s interception (other than it happening against an opponent too miserable to capitalize on it), it was that it stemmed from positive impulse, and one these Dallas Cowboys should embrace.

The way things stand right now in their division, in their conference and in their league, there is something shiny off in the distance, just waiting to be taken.

The Cowboys might as well go after it.

They didn’t prove themselves to be Super Bowl contenders just by beating up on the floundering Dolphins in a 31-6 romp at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, and their first 3-0 start in a decade might not have the usual contenders quivering yet.

But look around them. Nobody is quivering about facing just about anybody this season, particularly in the NFC. If there ever was a time to get a little greedy about ambitions, this is it.

Not that anybody from the top down with the Cowboys is willing to make any bold proclamations.

“I wouldn’t try to ask for more right now,” owner Jerry Jones said, but only because he’s the kind of guy who doesn’t have to ask for things in order for people to know what he expects.

Three games into the season, the Cowboys already have a two-game lead on the entire NFC East. Philadelphia botched two games in a row, Washington still hasn’t won a game, and the Giants not only benched their starting quarterback, but just outfitted their best player with a pair of crutches.

Yes, the Cowboys flirted with disaster Sunday, but disaster is relative. For Prescott, it was allowing Miami to hang around for two quarters too long. For teams like Pittsburgh and New Orleans and everyone who has tried to employ Antonio Brown lately, things tend to get considerably uglier.

Ben Roethlisberger is out for the season, and maybe for his career. Drew Brees is out for a month, and maybe longer. Russell Wilson is still around, but being asked to carry his team like never before.

All of this helps clear a path, and clearly a lot of things can go wrong before the Cowboys reach its end. To their credit, they seem to realize this. Nobody is holding any celebrations yet, save for indulging in some presweetened beverages.

“We’ll have a couple of lemonades this afternoon,” Dallas coach Jason Garrett said. “And we’ll get back to work (Monday) morning to get better as a football team.”

To be sure, this franchise has been burned by false hope a time or two over the past couple of decades. Through three weeks, the Cowboys have given plenty of indications that they might be built for a long-awaited postseason run, but they also haven’t played a winning team yet.

Next Sunday night in New Orleans will lessen the margin for error, and the Saints’ performance with fill-in Teddy Bridgewater on Sunday proved they remain a legitimate test. If the Cowboys survive not only that trip, but the following week at home against Green Bay?

Then we’ll have a better idea if that shiny object in the distance is truly attainable or not. That being said, what’s happened so far shouldn’t be discounted, either.

“I would not look over what this is,” Jones said. “We’ve got a little edge starting off, and we’ll benefit from that later on. We’ll need it all.”

If they decide to get greedy again.

mfinger@express-news.net

Twitter: @mikefinger