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Per Drew Davison of the Star-Telegram, Witten's third catch in the second quarter during Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave him 1,079 career receptions.
Owens had 1,078 career catches in his remarkable 15-year career. He put up those numbers despite never leading the NFL in receptions once in any season.
Witten has followed a similar path to Owens in climbing the receptions list. He only needed 14 years to reach 1,079 catches, but like Owens, he's only broken the 100-catch barrier once in his storied career.
A 17-15 win over the Minnesota Vikings on December 1 was especially notable for Witten. It marked the first time in 130 games Dallas' star tight end didn't record a catch, per Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram:
Look, I’ve had a lot of receptions. You never want to have too many weeks of those, but I mean, it’s great to be 11-1. I think if anyone understands that and appreciates that, it’s myself. We have a lot of weapons and a lot of ways of attacking games. I’ve said all along, different guys get opportunities, and that’s the way it goes. You know, Thursday night wasn’t our best football offensively, but to find a way to win and move forward, that’s what this team has done great all year.
Most of the Cowboys' success this season has been attributed to rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, who deserve all of their accolades, but Witten continues to be an essential piece of the puzzle. He entered Week 15 ranked second on the team in targets, receptions and third in receiving yards.
Witten could catch Tim Brown (1,094 catches) for sixth on the all-time receptions list before the season ends. He is less than 300 receptions away from catching Tony Gonzalez for most catches by a tight end in NFL history (1,325).
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