Dez Bryant caught four passes for 84 yards and the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter Thursday night, helping the Cowboys win their 11th straight game with a 17-15 victory over the Vikings in Minneapolis.

Bryant's 56-yard catch in the first half set up Ezekiel Elliott's 1-yard plunge. The receiver caught an 8-yard scoring pass in the fourth quarter after a fumbled punt by the Vikings' Adam Thielen.

Elliott rushed for 86 yards on 20 carries for the Cowboys (11-1), who have the longest single-season winning streak in franchise history. Quarterback Dak Prescott was 12-for-18 for 139 yards passing.

Sam Bradford threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jerick McKinnon with 25 seconds to play, but the two-point conversion failed for the Vikings (6-6), who found out earlier on Thursday that coach Mike Zimmer would not be able to attend the game after having emergency eye surgery Wednesday night.

Surgery for Gronkowski:Three-time Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski is having surgery for a herniated disk in his back and is likely to be out for eight weeks or more.

The injury is believed to have occurred during the Patriots' loss to the Seahawks on Nov. 13. Gronkowski said he received “one of the hardest hits in my career” from Seahawks safety Earl Thomas.

Gronkowski, who sat out practice the last two days, has missed three games this season while dealing with a hamstring injury.

Officials going full time: Troy Vincent, the NFL's vice president of football operations, said Thursday that he expects the league to hire as many as 17 full-time officials this offseason.

The additions are allowed under the collective bargaining agreement and would increase the size of officiating crews from seven to eight, Vincent said during a visit to Buffalo, N.Y.

“This is a topic of discussion daily,” he said, noting the league will need to consult with the NFL Referees Association.

Currently, NFL officiating crews are part-time staff and hold jobs outside of football. Vincent said full-time officials would allow the league to spend more time on training and consultation on a year-round basis.

Vincent said, the league is already receiving input from coaches, general managers and owners. And, he said, hiring full-time officials and discussions to expand replay reviews top the agenda of the NFL's competition committee, which is scheduled to meet in February following the Super Bowl.

Extra points:Bills WR Sammy Watkins returned to practice on a limited basis but is dealing with a broken bone in his left foot, according to offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn. ... C Nick Mangold fully practiced with the Jets for the first time since spraining his ankle Oct. 23. However, five other starters missed practice: WR Brandon Marshall. (foot, knee), and S Calvin Pryor (concussion). ... The NFL is re-evaluating its scheduling process but has no plans to discontinue playing weekly games on Thursday.