Is Dallas Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb the Record-Breaking Fix to 'Strange' Offense?
Dallas Cowboys star receiver CeeDee Lamb had little explanation for his disappearance in the second and third quarters of Sunday's 22-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Lamb, who started and finished strong en route to six catches for 118 yards and a touchdown, said postgame he just went absent, dubbing it "very weird."
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott had similar thoughts on Lamb's day, but believes the wideout's strong first quarter - in which he caught four passes for 93 yards and eclipsed 100 yards from scrimmage - prompted change from Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
"'Strange,' I guess, is a good word," Prescott said. "But when you have three or four catches and 70 yards from the jump, you're playing a defensive coordinator over there that's been around for a long time."
Still, Lamb made an impact when needed most, catching passes of 14 and 11 yards to convert on third and fourth down, respectively, in the final quarter Sunday.
Two issues stem from all of this ...
1 - Quite notably, Lamb played his way into the Cowboys' history books. More on that below.
2 - Dallas simply cannot afford to have a defense "take away Lamb'' because the other team has a "coordinator who's been around for a long time.'' If this generally top-notch offense is going to get defeated, it should do while giving its best weapon every chance to rescue it.
Dec 24, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) reacts toward Miami Dolphins fans during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium.
Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
The 24-year-old Lamb became the first player in Dallas history to surpass 5,000 yards from scrimmage in his first four seasons, currently sitting at 5,126.
He's one of only six receivers in NFL history to accomplish the feat, joining the likes of Jerry Rice, Torry Holt, Randy Moss, Michael Thomas and Justin Jefferson.
With 132 yards from scrimmage against the Dolphins, Lamb eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the 19th time in his career, the highest mark by a Cowboys receiver in his first four seasons.
By the end of Sunday's game, Lamb set two single-season career-highs with 109 receptions and 1,424 receiving yards.
Lamb is just three catches and 179 yards shy of breaking Michael Irvin's team-record 111 receptions and 1,603 receiving yards, achieved in 1995.
With his first quarter touchdown, Lamb scored for the seventh consecutive game, the longest active streak in the NFL. He's just the third Cowboy to reach that mark, joining Terrell Owens (2007) and Dez Bryant (2012).
Sticking with sevens, Lamb recorded his seventh 100-yard receiving game of the season, tying him with Irvin for the second-most such games in a year. Irvin holds the team record with 11 games in 1995.
On a league-wide level, Lamb leads the NFL in receptions and ranks second in receiving yards, trailing only Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill.
Sunday was a costly day for Dallas in terms of its NFC East title hopes and a "strange'' outing for Lamb, but one that ultimately vaulted him into Cowboys history - and another step closer to breaking more records.
But as Lamb himself said evenly, "I went absent (with no targets on four straight possessions in the middle of the game). I feel like if I'm gonna be involved, keep me involved.''
Lamb will look to continue etching his name into the history books Saturday, when the Cowboys host the Detroit Lions (11-4) at 7:15 p.m. PST inside AT&T Stadium.
