If he plays like he did the previous two Sundays, he might not finish the game.

"We think we can go with Brad and see what happens," coach Wade Phillips said Wednesday. "We're not going into the game saying, 'This guy is going and we're going to pull him if he doesn't do anything.' We're going in with a more positive attitude than that."

The reality is the Cowboys have to be ready for it. That's why third-stringer Brooks Bollinger got some work with the first team Wednesday. Before practice, star receiver Terrell Owens said the only passes he'd caught from Bollinger were warm-up tosses.

"Obviously, he's here for a reason," Owens said. "We're just going to go with whomever is back there."

Whomever is back there may not have tight end Jason Witten, the NFC's leading receiver.

Witten watched practice in shorts and a sweatshirt, resting his broken rib. Phillips said he is not ruling Witten out just yet. But if he misses the game, it would give him two weeks to heal with the Cowboys' upcoming bye. Rookie Martellus Bennett would be his replacement.