Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb got back to basics after a week one loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Lamb had three drops in the fourth quarter of the season opener, each of which could have altered the outcome of the Cowboys’ 24–20 loss. A video went viral on Sunday of Lamb working on catching passes by himself at the Cowboys’ practice facility. The sixth-year wideout said Thursday that he lost sleep over the drops but would make up for it this season.
“No, I didn’t,” he replied. “I didn’t get any rest for really the whole weekend. I mean, that’s just the competitor that I am and how much I treat to the game, as far as being honest and just giving it everything I got, because I do love this game. I love this sport. I love the guys that I do it with. So, as for me, just holding my end of the bargain and just pulling through for the guys.”
Lamb did not have a bad game statistically, with seven catches for 110 yards; he was the team’s leading receiver, on a night where quarterback Dak Prescott passed for only 188 yards. But three drops, all in the fourth quarter, ultimately cost the Cowboys the game.
The first drop came on the first play of the fourth quarter. Lamb was open over the middle between two Eagles defenders but Prescott’s pass sailed right through his hands and bounced off his helmet, nearly getting intercepted.
The second came with 2:46 left in the game: Prescott launched a deep pass down the seam to Lamb, who had a step on cornerback Quinyon Mitchell; again the ball bounced off his hands, nearly being grabbed by safety Reed Blankenship. Finally, on 4th and 3 with just under two minutes left, Prescott lobbed a ball to Lamb down the sideline; Lamb laid out for the ball, which hit him in the hands before dropping through his arms to the turf. Philadelphia got the ball back on downs and ended the game.
“I wasn’t doing that for no internet, to be honest,” Lamb said. “That’s why I came in on a day where nobody was in the building, but I still caught a camera. I didn’t even know that that camera was there. But ... that’s for me. It’s just going back to my fundamentals. I know what it is. I know what to do. Again, it’s game one. We got 16 more of these ... I let the work do the talking.”
One of the reasons Lamb was so hard on himself is because all night, the Eagles appeared to have trouble defending him and his opposite number, George Pickens. Both receivers are over 6 feet tall and are excellent at making catches outside their frame, requiring Philly to try and shift defenders around constantly.
“We had them confused,” Lamb recalled. “They didn’t really have an answer for us, quite honestly. And again, the reason you [didn’t] see it is because I came up short. At halftime, they switched up their defensive scheme ... So we had them in quite a bind, and it’s good to see ‘cause you can’t figure it out, and then you’ve got [WR KaVontae Turpin] running through the middle.”
Lamb also complimented Prescott, who showcased mobility and toughness to escape the defense’s relentless pass rush.
“I had texted him. I’m like, ‘Bro, good game. I came up short on my end, but trust me, just just stay with me. I got you,’” he said.
Lamb said he has dwelled on the game and the consequences of losing a division game. However, he also said that he and Prescott lean on each other in times like these, knowing that they both have each other’s back.
But he then expressed confidence in himself to come up big for his team in big moments going forward.
“Excuse my language, but I wouldn’t rather [have] nobody else but myself in those situations,” he said. “I came up short once. We'll see the rest.”
