Dez Bryant is Tony Romo's top receiver on the Cowboys, but that's not where the quarterback was looking when the game was on the line Sunday against the Lions.
Trailing 20-17 and facing a fourth-and-6 at the Cowboys 42 with six minutes to play, Romo dropped back, spotted Jason Witten and fired a strike over the middle. By the time the veteran tight end was knocked to the turf, he'd picked up 21 yards and a huge first down. Six plays later, Dallas was in the end zone and on the way to Green Bay.
It was a beautiful route by Witten, who at 32 doesn't have the speed of five years ago, but still gained separation from safety James Ihedigbo to make the catch.
"That's what you live for," Witten said, according to ESPNDallas.com. "That's what you want to do."
The chemistry between Romo and Witten is obvious. They've played together for 12 seasons, becoming one of the most productive quarterback-tight end tandems in league history. Sunday's big connection was the reward for years of hard work between the two men.
Scott Linehan is listed as the passing game coordinator in Dallas' hierarchy, but Linehan said the winning play call was all about Jason Garrett. The Cowboys' coach called timeout before the play, making sure Dallas was composed and fully prepared for the play of the season.
"He really deserves all the credit for that," Linehan said, "because the book might say, 'Don't do that,' but when you're playing to win ... ."
This game will be remembered for The PI Call That Wasn't, but a closer look at the final minutes revealed that one team stayed aggressive and one team played it passive. Romo's hook-up with Witten typified that dynamic.
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