EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — There's such a thing as a bounceback game, indeed, but what CeeDee Lamb was able to produce to help lift the Dallas Cowboys over the New York Giants basically had an entire trampoline attached to it.
Coming off of the loss against the Baltimore Ravens, he fielded a lot of criticism from outside of the building regarding the optics of his expressions of frustration, going quiet for a couple of days thereafter to gather his thoughts — his Q&A with the media draped in the All-Pro receiver taking accountability and promising things “are going to get better”.
Spoiler: They did.
"Obviously, it's more joy in here," said after the 20-15 victory that saw him grab seven catches on eight targets for 98 yards and a touchdown. "I mean, you lose two in a row and you kind of start going through a phase where everybody is kind of uptight; and you're ready to play again and kind of get it over with. It was good for us … [this] was the one we needed.
"The division game, it put us in the right place."
It moves the Cowboys to a much more stable footing at 2-2 as the calendar turns to October, with the currently undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers waiting on the other side of the mini-bye week.
And while Lamb still feels the Cowboys' offense left some "meat on the bone" in the second half, having scored both of their touchdowns in the first half and unable to find pay dirt over the last two quarters, the chemistry between he and Dak Prescott looked as sharp as it ever has.
The miscues of against the Ravens seemingly served as a learning tool.
"Man, just sticking to my guns, and again, believing the person I am and the player that I am," said Lamb, his frustrations of Week 3 stemming from disappointment in himself. "I have the utmost belief in myself and my ability, and my talent, and so do the coaches. Everything that transpired last game was not personal.
"It's my will to win, and I love to win. I hate to lose."
Lamb also got involved in the rushing attack and though that facet of his game wasn't as productive this week as in weeks past, he's never turning down an opportunity to get the ball in his hands — everyone on the planet knowing what he can do once he has it.
"Whatever it takes," he said. "Whatever it takes. I'm grateful for the opportunity, happy to do what I love and ultimately again, coming out with a win."
There remains plenty of refinement required by the Cowboys going forward, but after what they've experienced over the past two weeks, Lamb and Co. aren't looking a gift horse in the mouth.
And especially when nothing about the victory was a gift at all.
