IRVING, Texas -- After scoring two touchdowns in Week 1, Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten has none the last three weeks as opposing defenses have double-teamed him on a regular basis.
Last weekend against San Diego, Witten had just one catch through nearly 52 minutes of the game. He finished with five catches for 43 yards, with a team-leading 10 targets, but linebackers and safeties are trying to take him out.
"Yeah, there [was] some coverage," Witten said. "They were doing [it] and different stuff with it. You got to fight through it and work yourself through it and find ways to make those plays."
Witten is one of Tony Romo's most dependable players. Of the Cowboys' 13 first-down receptions, Witten has three, one behind receiver Dez Bryant. The Cowboys would like to get Witten more involved over the middle, to create options for other players. But defenses are taking that away from Romo, and the Cowboys' offense overall isn't throwing deep passes. The Cowboys have just nine pass plays of 20 or more yards.
Could throwing it deep create more chances for Witten?
"In the St. Louis game we were getting the ball out quick," Witten said of the Week 3 contest, which the Cowboys won. "They were playing off coverage and we got some guys on the outside that are pretty good run-after-catch and I think that, more than anything, I think we have a good offense that can go down the field [and] for whatever reason, the first four games we haven't had a whole lot of opportunities at it."