Jerry Jones, George Pickens give conflicting takes on Cowboys WR benching

The Dallas Cowboys improved to 4-5-1 with a convincing 33-16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football.

One of the brightest stars on offense for Dallas was wide receiver George Pickens, who had nine receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown. Pickens was dominant throughout the night, showing precision in his routes and he made players miss tackles as he racked up the yards after the catch.

It was a great response to an unexpected start, as Pickens and fellow wide receiver CeeDee Lamb were sidelined for the first drive of the game. Seeing their star players on the bench raised eyebrows, and it was confirmed later they were being disciplined.

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After the game, Pickens tried to deflect questions, saying they were held out due to personnel moves. Lamb, however, didn't want to get into the reasoning.

Jerry Jones had a different approach, as the team owner and general manager said it was an "in-house" issue, but confirmed the two players had a "late problem."

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on @1053thefan said George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb didn't start Monday night because of an "in-house issue" that "had to do with meeting type discipline" and that they "had a late problem there." https://t.co/DeCSWW99FN
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 18, 2025

Jones' statement aligns with what was reported, and is far more plausible than head coach Brian Schottenheimer keeping his two best players sidelined due to the Raiders' defensive plan.

Lamb, Pickens benching doesn't appear to be a long-term issue

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb reacts after catching a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The good news is that both players rose to the occasion once they were on the field. In addition to Pickens' numbers, Lamb had five receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown.

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Both players not only seemed fine on the field, but Schottenheimer praised each of them for their response during his post-game interview.

That should indicate that there shouldn't be any latsing effect beyond the one series, which is a good thing because the offense is far better with Pickens and Lamb than without.

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