In what has become an all-too-common theme in the early going for the Cowboys, during Sunday night’s game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh, star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb was caught on camera saying what appeared to be some harsh words to quarterback Dak Prescott.
The incident came near the end of the first half with the Cowboys’ offense having again stalled out and the team trailing, 10-6. Prescott had the opportunity to put the Cowboys ahead on a second-and-4 play from the Steelers’ 15-yard line, but wound up throwing short to Lamb on the right side. The pass was into coverage and intercepted.
Later, on the national broadcast of the game, analyst Cris Collinsworth watched a replay of the pick, followed by a clip of Lamb haranguing a stoic Prescott, who sat on the bench with his head hung. It appeared Lamb called Prescott’s attempt a, “subpar throw.”
Said Collinsworth: “I’ll let you read your own lips. At Dak. Dak doesn’t react at all. Doesn’t look good.”
To which play-by-play man Mike Tirico said, “Not a bit. Not a bit.”
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But later, after the game, Lamb downplayed the exchange. The Cowboys went on to win, after all, 20-17, thanks in large part to a huge fumble recovery by Prescott the save the final Dallas possession, which he followed with a fourth-down, game-winning touchdown pass to Jalen Tolbert.
“I told him, perseverance, that’s all we need at QB,” Lamb said, via The Athletic. “He’s the epitome of that, everything he’s been able to overcome off the field and on the field.”
Again, that is not quite what it looked like Lamb said, and given the frustration he has aimed at Prescott earlier in this season, there’s reason to question the exchange. In the Cowboys’ Week 3 loss to the Ravens, the disconnect with his quarterback got the better of Lamb, as he was caught on camera chirping at Prescott and acting out his frustrations before he was finally benched during the Cowboys’ late rally.
Lamb was frustrated then, as he logged just four catches for 67 yards. For the season, he now has 25 catches for 378 yards.
On Sunday against Pittsburgh, he had five catches for 62 yards, marking his fifth straight game to start the season without a 100-yard performance. The only time Lamb has gone that long without a 100-yard game was 2022, when Prescott was injured for the first five games of the year.
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Lamb has been known to let his emotions get the better of him throughout the early part of his career, and had vowed in the offseason to be more of a professional and more of a leader. He apologized after the Week 3 outburst.
“Just being a professional about this whole situation. Understanding it’s a long game,” said Lamb, via ESPN. “But as for me and my performance, I expect a lot out of myself, more than anyone could put on me. And, quite honestly, I failed myself. And obviously, I failed the team just as far as producing and being that game-breaker player for the team and, obviously, the guy that they can lean on.
“I kind of let the game get to my head a little bit. But in the same sense, I know what I can do. I know what I bring to the table, and I know what I can do on that field. So, with that being said, going forward, there shall be a difference.”
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Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb Breaks Silence on Tense Dak Prescott Exchange