FRISCO, Texas – Here is something you just need to know.
This CeeDee Lamb, he's one tough S.O.B.
The Cowboys' fifth-year No. 88 is playing through a sprained A.C. joint in his shoulder. It's painful. Painful to extend his arms to make some of these difficult catches you've seen over the past few games, none more difficult than the 14-yard, spinning, falling-backward touchdown grab down low last Sunday afternoon to give the Cowboys a 7-0 second-quarter lead at Carolina.
Why, over the past five games, CeeDee has caught 35 passes for 308 yards and the one touchdown against thee Panthers. In that game, he finished with nine catches for 116 yards, his second 100-yard performance this season and seventh with at least 89 yards.
And the fact the Cowboys are just 6-8 with three games to play, and playoff chances slim, or that they have played the past 6½ games without quarterback Dak Prescott, backup Cooper Rush filling in, has not deterred his performance nor his desire to win.
"You guys know this," Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Shottenheimer said after the Carolina win and Lamb's stellar performance. "I mean, he's playing through a lot right now. He's pretty banged up.
"You see him when he falls, he's gritting it out, and that's a testament to him and the way he's wired. He wants to win, and he wants to lay it on the line. Just unbelievable props to the way he competes, the type of players that he is."
Here is the type. As the fourth "No. 88", carrying out the number's legacy from Drew Pearson to Michael Irvin to Dez Bryant, Lamb already has achieved something those three never had, and two of them, Pearson and Irvin, are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He currently has totaled 1,089 yards receiving this year, meaning he has become the first Cowboys player in franchise history to produce four 1,000-yard efforts in the first five years of his career.
His 489 career receptions ties Pearson for fourth on the Cowboys' all-time reception list, the only players with more being Jason Witten (1,215) playing 16 seasons, Irvin (750) 12 seasons and Bryant (531) in eight seasons. Plus, those 489 rank second most in the NFL during a player's first five seasons to only Michael Thomas (510), but still with three games to play.
And after leading the NFL in 2023 with 135 catches while setting the Cowboys'receptions and yards receiving (1,749) franchise records, Lamb sits this season ranked third in NFL receptions (94), eight behind leader Jamarr Chase (102) and third in receiving yards (1,089). His six receiving scores leads the Cowboys in overall touchdowns, and needless to say, he leads in receptions, too, but by 46. He also has added 70 yards rushing, giving him 1,159 scrimmage yards, fourth among NFL receivers so far.
Please appreciate.
• Baker Cookin': Bad enough the Cowboys are catching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a four-game winning streak, pulling their record to 8-6 with four games to play, but they also are catching quarterback Baker Mayfield on a hot streak. He was named the NFC Offensive player of the Week for his performance in the Bucs' 40-17 victory over the Chargers, completing 22 of 27 passes (81.5 percent) for 288 yards, four TDs, one INT and a QB rating of 135.3. During this four-game winning streak, Mayfield has completed 85 of 122 passes (70 percent) for 1,112 yards, eight TDs, five INTs and a QB rating of 102.9. That's pretty much smokin', especially when it comes to touchdown passes this season, his 32 ranking third and so, too, his yards passing (3,612). Certainly, a handful for the Cowboys.
• Foot Ball: Cowboys special teams coach John Fassel, lending a hand designing the newly implemented kickoff rules, has been quite happy with the number of overall returns this season, especially how exciting some of the plays have been after seasons of touchbacks after touchbacks. Said Fassel, "The foot is definitely back in football compared to the last two seasons. The foot is definitely back in it. Our guys, they want to play." Especially the Cowboys. They have returned 31 kickoffs, sixth most in the NFL but only because of pushing the envelope with NFL leader KaVontae Turpin back there averaging 34.4 yards a return on 24 attempts, most in the NFL, when considering only five players have at least 18 attempts so far this season.
• Bright Eyes: Ol' Turp's eyes lit up when asking him if he'd wish an opponent would attempt a 70-yard field goal against The Cowboys as Dallas did Sunday against Carolina, Brandon Aubrey coming up short and allowing the Panthers to return the kick landing in the end zone. "I wish they would," Turpin said. "I know how to set up the angles," realizing a majority of guys blocking for field goal attempts are offensive linemen. "I know how to set up the angles on those guys." Bet he does.
• Third-And-1: Go back and look at the Cowboys' third-and-1 attempt from the Carolina 14-yard line with 45 seconds remaining in the half. With tight end Jake Ferguson in motion left to right on the snap, had Rush successfully pulled the ball out from Rico Dowdleinstead of fumbling, with the Panthers' defensive end crashing hard inside to stop the run, Coopwould have had an easy 1-yard gain keeping the ball or, better yet, an easy soft toss to Ferguson gong right that certainly would have gained the 1 yard but highly possible if Lamb got his block on the safety that Fergie would have gone for a touchdown and a 17-0 Cowboys' halftime lead.
• Holiday Nibbles: Best news on a 13-man injury report Wednesday being center Cooper Beebe, missing this past game in concussion protocol, listed as fully practicing and cornerbackJourdan Lewis, with a whole bunch of corners injured, at least being limited, saying he'll be good to go with that elbow injury … Don't think because Aubrey came up short on his 70-yard field goal attempt the Cowboys have given up on trying that again, Fassel knowing they were kicking into the wind on a cold day and that Aubrey admittedly tried to muscle up on the attempt instead of taking his normal approach … Know also that Aubrey's 11 made field goals from 50-plus yards in 14 games is second most in NFL history, only Houston's Ka'imi Fairbarn's 13 this season with more … Speaking of kickoffs, during the recent NFL meetings there was a discussion on trying to re-implement the onside kick, which under the new rules is limited to the fourth quarter and the attempt has to be revealed, taking any surprise attack out of the game …Anticipating a return attempt if Aubrey came up short on the 70-yarder, Cowboys defensive lineman Chauncey Golston knew he was the tackler out there on the line of scrimmage, and "Fassel told me they would likely return to my side," which the Panthers did, saying he was ready because you got to "be a player."
This might be an update on the last word this week, previously this year having quoted defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer on coaching Micah Parsons, talking about his skills and what he expects from the fourth-year player.
Well, since Micah's return from his four-game injury absence, he's been a force out there these past five games, recording 7½ sacks. And if you factor that pace out over a full 17-game season, he'd finish with an NFL record 25½ sacks.
How 'bout it, Mike?
"He's just a dynamic athlete, really," Zimm begins. "There are things I talk to him about, a lot about. So we got on the bus (Sunday night), he came on the bus, and I said, 'OK, this happened in the game, and if you would have done this, you would have had a better opportunity here. If you had done this, which I've talked to him about on another instance, you wouldn't have gotten pushed by the quarterback on one of them.' I'm just trying to get him to use not just his athletic ability but a little bit more of the technical aspect of that position.
"We do have a great relationship. He came up to me during the game and said, 'We need to run this.' And I said something like, 'Dude, it's the two-minute drill. Can you just relax?' It's at the end of the half, and I said, 'It's starred on the (play) sheet right here, you see it?' He says, 'OK, OK, I'm sorry.' (Laughs) OK, he means well.
"And he's very smart. He's brilliant."
And darn good, too, since his return.
