Jason Witten could tie or pass Dez Bryant for Cowboys receiving touchdowns record on Sunday

This is a weird week. Christmas Day fell on Wednesday which means both then and the day before were days in which you had errands to run, family or friends to see, work to get done, on and on and on. The holidays always bring about some weird timing.

We are squarely in the middle of Christmas and New Year’s which is reminiscent of when we were all kids on break (if you’re still in school and on break... CHERISH IT). This window is so awkward and beautiful and the only thing that makes sense is to visit, eat, and sleep.

This has made what was already an awkward week for the Cowboys all the more weird. It’s possible that this is the last one with Jason Garrett as the head coach (in fact several Cowboys might be readying to sing their swan song) and there’s a general level of apathy when it comes to getting the necessary help to reach the playoffs. People are just kind of tired of this season and ready for it to end. They have 1% confidence in the team for goodness sake.

In spite of the bad, there is a chance for a lot of good on Sunday

As mentioned, the Dallas Cowboys can still win the NFC East. It almost feels like that would upset people at this point but going to the playoffs is always fun.

What’s more is that the Cowboys could see one of the more prominent records in franchise history fall as well in the final game of their regular season. Jason Witten needs one touchdown to tie Dez Bryant for the franchise’s all-time leading in receiving scores.

Dallas Cowboys all-time receiving touchdown leaders:

1. Dez Bryant, 73
2. Jason Witten, 72
3. Bob Hayes, 71
4. Michael Irvin, 65
5. Tony Hill, 51

Jason Witten has scored four touchdowns in his return from retirement which has put him well within striking distance of Dez Bryant’s record (Bryant set the mark in 2017). Playoff games do not see their statistics counted towards records like these so even if the Cowboys do win the division this is the last chance for Witten to make progress towards it, unless he returns for another season in 2020.

We won’t know whether Jason Witten is going to be a Cowboys player, coach, or nothing at all in 2020 for some time, but we do know that this is conceivably his last opportunity to achieve something pretty special. It’s possible that he could do it, but he would need two touchdowns to do so. The last time that Witten caught two touchdowns in a single game was the 2015 opener (the second one that night was pretty incredible).

Of course Bryant accomplished what he did in the touchdown department in 113 games while Sunday will be Witten’s 255th. There’s no question that Dez was a far more prolific scorer but at the end of the day the record could either be split in half or lost entirely by Mr. Throw Up The X. We’ll have to wait and see.

For what it’s worth, it will be very interesting to see how the Cowboys handle situations near the goal line on Sunday. Hypothetically if their first play there is a pass to Jason Witten and the tight end is not just WIDE open... would that have been a directive of sorts or just a coincidence?