'Defense Has Us!' CeeDee Lamb Praises Dallas Cowboys D on Record-Breaking Night
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb had a record-breaking night in his team's thrilling 20-19 win over the Detroit Lions on Saturday's edition of "Monday Night Football," but in the end, even he was powerless in deciding the final result.
Lamb's 227 receiving yards were enough to etch his name into the franchise record books with the most receiving yards in a single season, but the ball was out of his hands in the end when the game was decided. The Lions worked down the field trailing by seven points and found the end zone with 23 seconds remaining to pull within one.
Since the Lions are led by head coach Dan Campbell, the decision after the score was an easy one: go for two, and it appeared that Detroit had taken a late lead when Goff found offensive lineman Taylor Decker in the end zone for the point after, but that's where the wild trek started.
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A flag was thrown, and the officials stated that Decker did not report as eligible on the play, resulting in an illegal touching penalty. That backed the Lions up, but they remained on the field to attempt the conversion again, where they were aided by an offsides call on the Cowboys' Micah Parsons.
On the attempt that finally counted (third time's the charm), Goff threw a pass for wide receiver Jameson Williams that bounced off his fingertips, sealing the win for Dallas.
During those moments, a special night at AT&T Stadium was almost overshadowed by this late-game fiasco, and all CeeDee Lamb could do was watch.
Saturday night featured the long-awaited arrival of former head coach Jimmy Johnson into the Cowboys' Ring of Honor, and it carried on the legacy of No. 88 at the wide receiver position in Dallas as Lamb passed his predecessor Michael Irvin in the record books. Had the Lions' two-point try been successful, however, the night would be remembered for much different reasons in the years to come.
Lamb admitted that it was a helpless feeling watching this sequence unfold on the sideline, but in the end, he has faith in his defense that has helped carry this team to an 11-5 record.
"Very stressful," Lamb said postgame, "but I know my defense has us. They definitely did. They held it down."
The NFL is a league of inches, but Saturday night's close call went the way of the Cowboys, and they needed it desperately. Dallas had dropped back-to-back games against solidified playoff teams entering Week 17, and pulling out a win (albeit a close one) puts a halt to that brief skid.
The Lions appear to be a legitimate threat in the NFC after a strong year in Detroit, so this may not be the final time these two meet this season. Dallas will hope for an easier win if a rematch comes down the road, but faith in your teammates goes a long way when things are out of your control at the end of a game, and CeeDee Lamb has that.
On Saturday, that was enough for a win, but he may need some antacids following his special night as a result.
