CeeDee Lamb recalls his acrobatic scoring grab in the end zone against Minnesota and where it ranks among the tough catches of his career.
It was positively jaw-dropping when it happened live. But CeeDee Lamb’s gravity-defying touchdown grab in the second quarter of Dallas’s 31-28 win over Minnesota actually becomes more impressive with every slow-motion replay.
It’s the kind of moment that will be shown for years to come, showcasing the rookie’s absurd body control and off-the-charts concentration as he corkscrews Matrix-style through midair to make what could end up being the catch of the year across the NFL.
Many who have been around the game for a lifetime are already calling it one of the greatest catches they’ve seen anyone ever make. But Lamb isn’t even sure it’s the best catch he’s ever made.
“Obviously, I’m happy that I hung onto it, because it was definitely a hard grab. Probably number one,” Lamb shrugged in his postgame press conference, asked where the reception ranks in his career.
But then the wideout who has- in just ten games- already broken the Cowboys’ rookie receptions record, caught himself.
“Or two. I’m still trying to get over that UCLA- my sophomore year- one-handed catch that was out of bounds.”
Yes, that sideline snag from 2018 is definitely worth a rewind, too.
Lamb’s catch versus UCLA was declared- wrongly- to have come out of bounds. His twisting dive inches above the turf at U.S. Bank Stadium, though, resulted in a clear-cut catch and a bona fide all-time highlight.
But it sure wasn’t a gimme as the 2nd-and-goal-to-go play unfolded.
“When it left my hand, I wasn’t sure exactly,” quarterback Andy Dalton said of his throw. “I let it go before he kind of set his angle on the route. He took it a little flatter than I thought. For a guy like that to be able to make that kind of catch, you can see the talent that he has.”
Looking over his left shoulder, and with Dalton’s pass sailing toward his right shoulder, Lamb barrel-rolled his body in midair until he was horizontal- parallel with the ground. Now falling backward and staring straight up into the rafters, the 21-year-old fought to swing his hands around more than 180 degrees from where they had started in order to meet the pass.
“Honestly, in that position, it was very hard to see,” Lamb told reporters. “The lights from the stadium made it difficult. I ran my route; Andy gave me a great opportunity, a great ball to have the opportunity to make a catch. Gave the O-line their props just for giving Andy time. At the end of the day, you’ve got to win your individual battles, and that I did.”
Lamb’s circus grab only cemented what most around the Cowboys locker room have felt since before he was drafted.
“I’m so glad he’s a Dallas Cowboy,” coach Mike McCarthy said in his press conference, “and I think we’re all seeing the beginnings of a tremendous career.”
“CeeDee’s so good when the ball’s in the air,” Dalton echoed. “Him being able to make his body get in a position to make acrobatic catches like that. You saw everything that he’s done in college, you’ve seen some of the stuff he’s already been able to do since he’s been here. For me, I was just trying to lay it up there, let him go have a chance at it, and he made an unbelievable catch.”
What impresses running back Ezekiel Elliott even more is the heart Lamb shows on plays where he’s not the target.
“CeeDee, he was on one today,” Elliott pointed out after the Vikings game. “Running hard, trying to run guys over. He tried to run a D-lineman over, he tried to run a linebacker over, which you don’t see from a smaller guy. But he can also go out there and catch the ball. You had the crazy catch in the red zone. That was big. He’s a hell of a player, he’s young, he’s going to have a hell of a career.”
Whoever wears the jersey number that Drew Pearson, Michael Irvin, and Dez Bryant made famous in Dallas is expected to carry on that big-play mentality. But one notices something different about this latest to wear the fabled double-eights.
Whether it’s his shout-out to what the offensive linemen did on his game-changing play, or the way he called the poorly-aimed ball from his quarterback “a great opportunity,” or the way he’s not even sure his ridiculous catch was the best he’s ever made, Lamb often speaks with a soft-spoken humility that’s refreshing coming from a No. 88.
“I made the most of my opportunity. I saw the ball that was in the air; he gave me a shot, and I definitely didn’t want it to hit the ground.”
His recollection of the moment may be full of understatement. But there’s no overstating how magnificent Lamb’s catch really was.
And just as with Pearson’s miracle “Hail Mary” catch versus Minnesota in 1975, Cowboys fans will be rewinding and dissecting this No. 88’s incredible touchdown grab against the Vikings for many years to come.
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