Category: CeeDee Lamb

Cowboys win was a pivotal moment for CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons

CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons showed tremendous growth as Cowboys leaders in Week 16

A funny thing happened on the way to Week 16 for Dallas. Sunday afternoon’s game between the Eagles and Commanders officially eliminated the Cowboys from the postseason, and two of the biggest and most polarizing stars in town grew into undeniable leaders within the organization.

Despite having “nothing to play for,” CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons played with the level of heart rarely seen under these circumstances in professional sports. The two Cowboys superstars have drawn criticism in the past for things ranging from sideline behavior, to on field body language, to selective effort, to comments and attitudes expressed between games. Legitimate or not many fans have grown weary of such antics and voiced displeasure in two of the biggest franchise cornerstones.

It’s unquestionably been a trying season for the Cowboys. Injuries were catastrophic and Dallas’s hope of posting a fourth straight 12-win season was vanquished three days into November. Superstars were lost, homefield felt like a foreign land and disappointment generally reigned supreme.

The loss of Dak Prescott to a season ending injury left a power vacuum in the locker room. The Cowboys had other great players but no one with the leadership skills and gravitas of the recovering quarterback. With postseason hopes gone and an uncertain future awaiting the franchise in 2025, the team had every reason in the world to mail it in.

Yet in a game that in many ways meant nothing, Lamb and Parsons showed firsthand that, to them, it meant everything. Lamb, physically pained by a shoulder injury, and Parsons, absolutely exhausted carrying the load as edge rusher, showed the grit and determination that harkened back memories of heroes past.

The optics of the situation showed Lamb and Parsons grow as leaders on Sunday night. It was a scene reminiscent of the Grinch overlooking Whoville on Christmas Day. It was the kind of growth that doesn’t just go away. It’s the kind of fight, kind of spirit, kind of leadership that can propel a team into a tide turning offseason.

To many, Sunday’s win against Tampa Bay meant nothing more than a cruddier draft pick next April. But this win wasn’t just any win. It was a win and a performance that can change the very DNA of a locker room.

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Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb does something only Michael Irvin had done before

The Cowboys’ star receiver was rewarded with a huge contract before the year and continues to prove his worth, bailing out his QB on his way to a score.

After a ridiculously slow star to the passing game, Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb has come to the rescue. On the third play of the game, Lamb caught a slant out of 22 personnel and took it downfield for 30 yards, only an illegal formation penalty brought the play back. If it had stood, that would’ve given Lamb over 1,000 receiving yards on the season.

The first quarter expired with QB Cooper Rush struggling to even look downfield and early in the second quarter he had just 12 passing yards as Dallas had the ball for the third time. Despite Rush’s off-target throws, though, Lamb’s immense talent allowed him to corral a couple off-target passes and surpass the milestone. After entering the game with 973 receiving yards, it’s now Lamb’s fourth-straight 1,000-yard season.

He’s only the second Cowboys receiver to accomplish the feat, joining Michael Irvin who did it five straight years from 1991 through 1995.

Lamb put a cherry on top of the drive catching a back-shoulder fade in the right side of the end zone for a touchdown to give Dallas a 7-0 lead.

CeeDee Lamb 27 yards away from joining exclusive Cowboys club

From @ToddBrock24f7: Lamb is on the verge of his 4th straight 1,000-yard season. Michael Irvin is the only other player in team history to accomplish that feat.

At just 5-8 and on the brink of official elimination from playoff contention, there wouldn’t seem to be much left for the Cowboys to play for. But there is one star player who will have a noteworthy accomplishment well within his grasp when the team lines up to face Carolina in Week 15.

CeeDee Lamb needs just 27 receiving yards to post his fourth straight 1,000-yard season.

While some will argue that the 1,000-yard milestone doesn’t mean what it used to since the inception of the 17-game schedule (28 pass-catchers did it in 2023), it’s still a benchmark achievement.

And how rare is doing it four times in a row? Assuming Lamb hits 1K, he’ll become just the second Cowboy in franchise history to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in four consecutive campaigns.

Only Michael Irvin has pulled off that particular feat, topping the millennium mark five times in a row, every season from 1991 to 1995.

In fact, as hard as it may be to believe, Irvin and Jason Witten are the only Cowboys players with four or more 1,000-receiving-yard seasons at all in their careers. Dez Bryant didn’t do it. Drew Pearson didn’t do it. Not Tony Hill, Bob Hayes, or Frank Clarke.

After 64 years of Cowboys football, Lamb will be just the third member of that exclusive club.

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He does still need to gain those 27 yards, but in the 79 regular-season games Lamb has played in since joining the team, he’s failed to hit that number just six times.

The three-time Pro Bowler suffered a shoulder injury in Week 9 but has nevertheless played through it and even leads the league in targets, so mathematically speaking (and knock on wood; he’s been limited in practice this week) it’s just a matter of how soon it happens on Sunday.

“Trying to play as hard as I can, I’m obviously putting myself out there for the benefit of the team,” Lamb said this week. “And of course, myself, I love to compete, but it’s bigger than me.”

Officials certainly won’t stop the game on Sunday to recognize Lamb’s 1,000-yard season. The moment may not even warrant a mention from the broadcast booth. Yes, Lamb’s 27th receiving yard this weekend will put him in elite company within the Cowboys record books, but he’d be the first to say that adding to the left-hand column of the team’s 2024 win-loss record is the more important contribution anyway.

“Be able to win the game, regardless, at the end of the day, you’ve still got to win the game,” he explained, “That’s the motivation.”

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CeeDee Lamb sets Cowboys record for fastest player to this milestone

The Cowboys wideout has been a reception machine ever since coming into the league and set a furious pace over the last few seasons. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles hasn’t gotten off to the best start for the Dallas Cowboys. An early fumble on a pistol-formation snap to Cooper Rush gave the bad guys the ball deep in Cowboys’ territory and the Eagles took advantage. Jalen Hurts scored on a Tush Push to put Philadelphia up 7-0.

That didn’t dissaude the Cowboys from making some history on their next drive however. After a strong return by Kavontae Turpin, Dallas found themselves in 3rd-and-2 from their own 48. That’s when Rush found WR CeeDee Lamb for a six-yard gain and a new set of downs. The reception was Lamb’s second of the game, giving him 450 for his career. He’s the fastest player in Cowboys history to reach that mark, and by a pretty wide margin.

Lamb was able to make his 450th career catch in his fifth season and just his 75th career game. The next fastest in Dallas history was Jason Witten, who made the mark in his 100th career game during his seventh season.

Below is a list of every Cowboys player with at least 450 regular season receptions.

Player Total Receptions Season Reached 450 Games to 450
Emmitt Smith 486 11 167
Jaosn Witten 1215 7 100
Michael Irvin 750 8 102
Dez Bryant 531 7 109
Drew Pearson 489 11 144
Tony Hill 479 10 130
CeeDee Lamb 450+ 5 75

Lamb entered the contest with 53 receptions for 660 receiving yards, putting him on pace for his third consecutive season with at least 100 receptions for 1,000 yards.

Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb gets encouraging news on shoulder injury

From @ToddBrock24f7: An MRI has confirmed that Lamb has a sprained AC joint, but he may not miss any time. History shows he’ll be just fine with Cooper Rush.

While the hamstring injury suffered by quarterback Dak Prescott in Sunday’s loss will cost the Cowboys multiple games without their leader, the team’s top offensive weapon appears to have dodged a bullet.

Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb played through a shoulder injury for most of the game and even caught a two-point conversion late in the contest despite being in obvious pain.

Lamb has a sprained AC joint, according to multiple reports, news that would confirm the team’s early suspicions. Last season’s receptions leader will have a sore shoulder, but the injury is not considered serious. He is being called “week-to-week” and may not even miss any time.

“I’ll be out there,” Lamb told reporters. “I’ll be playing.”

The initial injury came in the second quarter after a hard fall to the turf while making a catch. A fourth-quarter dive on a deep ball aggravated the injury further, causing him to stay down momentarily and even miss several plays.

He was able to return.

Lamb totaled eight catches on 12 targets Sunday, gaining 47 yards and that two-point conversion from backup passer Cooper Rush in the waning moments of the 27-21 loss in Week 9.

Now it appears that Rush will take over in Dallas, barring a surprise roster change by the team to go with third-stringer Trey Lance.

But assuming Rush gets the gig, there may not be the dropoff for Lamb that many fans would expect at first blush. The 30-year-old quarterback out of Central Michigan has started six games as a Cowboy, and Lamb’s receiving numbers in that relatively small sample size are… actually… just fine.

Tgt Rec Yds TD
2021 at MIN 8 6 112 0
2022 vs CIN 11 7 75 0
2022 at NYG 12 8 87 1
2022 vs WAS 8 6 97 1
2022 at LAR 8 5 53 0
2022 at PHI 10 5 68 0

In Rush’s six starts, Lamb has averaged six catches on 11 targets for 82 yards per outing.

Over 74 career games, Lamb has averaged six catches on nine targets for 78 yards per outing.

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If Lamb is to play this Sunday when the Eagles come to Arlington, he’ll likely need a positive week of rehab work with the Cowboys training staff and at least one full practice under his belt by the weekend.

“It hurts, no need to shortchange it,” Lamb said of his right shoulder. “But that’s no excuse for my performance. I could have played better overall, and I’ll be better. I’m not going to put so much emphasis on it as far as me catching the ball because overall, that’s my job, but yeah, it definitely hurt.”

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How will CeeDee Lamb do today in fantasy football? Projections for Cowboys WR

A look at CeeDee Lamb’s historical production under these circumstances, how outlets feel he’ll do and a projection for Week 6. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys are going to have trouble fielding a competitive defense in Week 6 when they take on the Detroit Lions. The Cowboys are going to be missing several key members of that unit, starting with superstar edge rusher Micah Parsons and All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland. Also missing will be starting middle linebacker Eric Kendricks, Pro Bowl edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence and his two backups, Sam Williams and rookie Marshawn Kneeland.

So while corralling Jared Goff and the Ben Johnson offense will be left to Trevon Diggs and a bunch of guys, the Dallas offense will need to find a way to keep pace. That starts with the connection between quarterback Dak Prescott and wideout CeeDee Lamb. The two must establish a dominant nature and then continue to exploit an average Detroit secondary throughout the contest.

So what does that mean for fantasy lineups?

Pro Football Focus says that this is an average matchup for Lamb, rating it a 55.2 out of 100, but also naming him the No. 1 wideout play for the week.

Yahoo! Sports ranks him the No. 1 wideout in full-point PPR leagues as well and their FantasyPros projects 6.5 catches, 85.3 yards and 0.5 touchdowns.

CBS Sports rates Lamb as a 9.8 out of 10 on their Must Start RTG factor.

What does history say about his performance from various perspectives?

Last season Lamb caught 12 of 13 targets for 227 receiving yards and a score. The year prior he had four receptions for 70 yards. So his small-sample size average against Detroit projects the following stat line:

8 receptions, 148 yards, 0.5 touchdowns

In two home games this season, Lamb has the following averages:

4 receptions, 78 yards, 0.5 touchdowns

In four previous Week 6 games over his career, Lamb has the following averages:

7 receptions, 99.5 yards, 0.5 touchdowns

Our projection based on these numbers is as follows:

6 receptions, 109 yards, 0.5 touchdowns, or 19.9 points in full-point PPR leagues.

Here’s why Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb drew 2 different fines from NFL front office this week

From @ToddBrock24f7: Lamb will be docked for taunting as well as making a violent gesture. That’s 3 fines in the past two games for the All-Pro wideout.

Through the first four weeks of the NFL season, exactly 111 plays have resulted in a monetary fine for a player in violation of some infraction. Almost three percent of them have involved CeeDee Lamb.

The Cowboys wide receiver was fined for two separate plays in the team’s Week 4 win over the New York Giants, it was announced Saturday. Combined, the fines will dock Lamb $25,324, just a week after an unnecessary roughness call (that was not considered a penalty during the Week 3 loss to Baltimore) cost him $22,511.

The first incident from last Thursday’s 20-15 win to draw the league’s ire came after a first-quarter catch by Lamb that gained ten yards. After being tackled at the Giants’ 30, Lamb motioned for a first down with a double-handed gesture that mimicked shooting guns. The league office called it unsportsmanlike conduct involving a violent gesture and imposed a fine of $14,069.

In the second quarter, Lamb caught a Dak Prescott pass of about 17 yards and then raced another 38 for a touchdown. On his way to the end zone, Lamb turned to stare down New York cornerback Deonte Banks and then flipped the ball toward him once he had scored. That was also deemed unsportsmanlike conduct- taunting, this time- and will cost Lamb $11,255.

As in Week 3, neither moment drew a flag from officials in the moment.

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The NFL seems to be making a concerted effort to crack down on the recent trend of players pantomiming shooting guns; five players across the league were fined for it in Week 4 and hit with fines totaling nearly $60,000.

Any violations resulting in a fine may be appealed by players, but the decisions are then binding. Collected fines are donated to the Professional Athletes Foundation to support NFL legends in need as well as the NFL Foundation to support the health, safety, and wellness of players across all levels of the sport.

Lamb has single-handedly contributed over $47,000 so far this season.

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Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb fined over $20,000 for this heady play

From @ToddBrock24f7: Lamb’s rough Week 3 game got even costlier; the NFL handed down a fine for a seemingly innocuous play that didn’t even warrant a penalty.

CeeDee Lamb had a rough outing back on Sept. 22 in the Cowboys’ loss to the Ravens. His costly fumble in the red zone contributed significantly to an overall collapse that eventually had the team down by 22 points before they were able to stop the bleeding. Lamb all but checked out entirely after the miscue and was even seen having heated exchanges on the sideline with teammates and coaches.

Thursday night’s win over the Giants, in which Lamb posted seven catches for 98 yards and a score, certainly helped put the previous weekend behind him (he also apologized for his behavior), but it turns out he’s not done paying for his Week 3 performance.

Per NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, the NFL has fined Lamb $22,511 for unnecessary roughness on a play that didn’t draw much attention when it happened.

On the final play of the first quarter, Lamb hauled in a short pass from quarterback Dak Prescott at about the Baltimore 20. He spun away from cornerback Nate Wiggins and broke for the end zone. At the 10, as linebacker Trenton Simpson wrapped him up from behind, Lamb met safety Kyle Hamilton head-on.

Literally.

The league has determined that Lamb used his helmet illegally on the play, even though the moment didn’t draw a penalty flag from the officials on the field. The hit doesn’t seem particularly noteworthy, even when viewed in replay.

Yet the official rulebook specifies: “It is a foul if a player: lowers his head and makes forcible contact with his helmet against an opponent; or uses any part of his helmet or facemask to butt or make forcible contact to an opponent’s head or neck.”

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Cowboys safety Markquese Bell was also fined- $5,500- for unnecessarily rough use of his own helmet in the same game.

League officials were on a bit of a rampage after Week 3, with 34 plays from across the league drawing fines totaling over $394,000. Several players were docked even more than Lamb; Packers running back Josh Jacobs was hit with a $45,020 fine and Chargers defensive back Derwin James was dealt a one-game suspension, both for roughness (helmet) incidents.

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Prescott, Lamb with opportunity to get Cowboys back on track vs depleted Giants CB corps

From @ToddBrock24f7: Lamb and the Cowboys need to pull out of a serious funk. A Giants CB corps possibly without 2 of its stars on Thursday may be the ticket.

After getting taken to the woodshed in back-to-back weeks, the Cowboys are looking for something- anything- to feel encouraged about heading into a suddenly-very-important Week 4 game.

They may have found it in the Giants secondary.

Third-round rookie Dru Phillips and veteran Adoree’ Jackson, two of New York’s top cornerbacks, sat out the team’s Tuesday walkthrough- the second straight DNP for both- with calf injuries per the Giants website, and head coach Brian Daboll didn’t sound overly optimistic that either would be ready to suit up Thursday night.

“We’ll see. Go all the way to the end like we normally do,” Daboll told New York media on Tuesday. “We’ve got a couple more days; we’ll see where everybody’s at tomorrow night, Thursday morning.”

Jackson played just 17 defensive snaps in Week 3, while Phillips logged seven.

Daboll said he doesn’t believe either player will have to go on injured reserve, but that will be of little solace as Dak Prescott comes to town.

The Cowboys quarterback enters the game as the NFL’s passing yards leader through three games. Granted, a significant chunk of his 851 yards have come as the offense played from way behind against both the Saints and the Ravens, but Prescott won’t complain about facing a depleted secondary as Dallas looks to get back on track in their first divisional tilt of the season.

The Giants’ CB shuffle could put extra pressure on Deonte Banks, their 2023 first-round pick out of Maryland. This past Sunday, the 23-year-old was tasked with covering a five-time Pro Bowler.

It did not go well.

Banks got “torched by Amari Cooper and looked lost on the field” versus the Browns, according to Giants Wire. Cooper caught seven balls and scored twice in a game the Giants ended up winning.

It’s the kind of game film, though, that could have Cowboys star receiver CeeDee Lamb salivating in anticipation after a very frustrating day last week.

Lamb sits one spot outside the league’s top 10 in receiving yards but was mostly stymied last Sunday after a costly red-zone fumble early in the game. Him returning to form (and quickly) will be absolutely critical if the Cowboys are to have any long-term success this season.

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Daboll admitted that finding a scheme to shut down Lamb has already been a focus for his staff during this short week.

“Tough opponent, really good player, CeeDee,” the coach said. “They’ve got a lot of really good players. So we’re burning it pretty good here.”

Giants cornerback Nick McCloud may also provide some relief for after missing Weeks 2 and 3 with a knee injury. He was listed as limited both Monday and Tuesday, but Daboll expressed “hope” that McCloud would be able to go Thursday.

Cor’Dale Flott, Tre Hawkins, and Art Green could also figure into the mix for the New York defensive backfield. They have one career interception among them.

Given the early struggles from the Cowboys’ run game, Mike McCarthy may be asking his running backs to help the offensive line with pass protection, letting Prescott and Lamb go to work on turning things around against a Giants CB corps already on the short end of the injury stick.

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CeeDee Lamb shockingly underused in Cowboys offense in 2024

The Cowboys are doing a poor job of flowing through CeeDee Lamb this season. | From @ReidDHanson

It’s no secret the Cowboys offense runs through star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb these days. Dallas’ $136 million man boasts the NFL’s second-highest annual salary for a non-quarterback (tied with Joey Bosa) and is coming off an All-Pro season where he led the league in receptions (135).

Splitting time outside, inside and even out of the backfield, Lamb has been a weapon on short routes, deep routes and as a ball carrier. While he’s only run the ball three times for 25 yards, he’s managed two first downs, just one shy of running back Ezekiel Elliott’s first down total this season. As a pass catcher Lamb ranks 15th in the NFL with 151 receiving yards, and 28th with nine receptions. Those totals are certainly respectable through two weeks, but they are not what anyone has come to expect from the Cowboys’ top weapon.

sam hoppen

With a target share just under 23%, only seven teams have a No. 1 WR with a smaller share than Lamb’s. In fact, multiple teams have secondary WRs with larger target shares than Lamb and one team, the Jets, even has their No. 3, Allen Lazard, with a larger target share than Lamb.

Lamb’s modest target rate isn’t by design but likely an accidental byproduct of the intended design. The Cowboys want to target him a ton but unlike many top teams, Dallas doesn’t have a clear WR2 on their roster.

Brandin Cooks plays the role, but he’s struggled to live up to true No. 2 status since joining Dallas a season ago. There’s hope Jalen Tolbert can take the next step and lock down the WR3 spot, but his gains have been slow, and his snaps have been split up to this point.

The Cowboys don’t have a great secondary option and that’s allowing opponents to focus in on Lamb and force Dak Prescott to spread the ball elsewhere. So, the offense is designed to flow through Lamb but since not enough was done over the offseason to keep defenses honest, the Cowboys’ top-heavy WR corps is getting keyed on.

There’s still a lot of season left and plenty of time for players like Cooks and Tolbert to hit their stride as complementary WRs. Getting Jake Feguson back from injury will help as well since, in many ways, he’s the No. 3 option on offense and a player whose work underneath opens things up for Lamb over the top.

At this point it is just something to monitor. The Cowboys’ offense goes as Lamb goes so Lamb’s slow start somewhat explains Dallas’ 24th ranked offense (EPA) through two weeks.

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