Certainly, it was not a bad game for Cowboys star receiver CeeDee Lamb in Week 1, despite the 28-20 loss to the Giants. But it was not the kind of breakout offensive showing for which he–along with fellow star receiver George Pickens–had been projected coming into Sunday, facing off against a notably weak back end of the Giants defense. The Cowboys have arguably the best receiver room in the NFL, and the Giants were rated as one of the worst secondaries. Advantage, Cowboys.
Right?
Well, it did not quite work out that way. Pickens had two dropped passes. Lamb had one. Pickens went for three catches and 28 yards. Lamb went for five catches and 44 yards. Neither was a breakaway performance. But, asked about the difficulty on Wednesday, Pickens pointed out that perhaps he, and Cowboys fans in general, are a bit spoiled.
Cowboys ‘Spoil’ Players
When playing for the Cowboys, players tend to get a massive level of attention. Lamb has tried to channel that the right way, but it probably comes more heavily after losses than wins.
Here’s what Lamb said about it in his Cowboys press conference, via Jon Machota of The Athletic: “We do get spoiled a little bit more. But when things go bad, you gotta be able to take the good with the bad. And I feel like some guys can’t take the bad with the good, and that’s why they can’t survive. If you’re gonna be here and you’re gonna wear that star, if you’re gonna be here celebrating with us on a win, you gotta definitely be able to take the losses, too.”
CeeDee Lamb: ‘Everything Is an Overreaction’
The Cowboys had their struggles in Week 1 against the Giants, and the fact that the defense could not get off the field on third downs, could not come up with the big stop when needed, could not slow the tempo the Giants established, all meant bad news for the Dallas offense. But Lamb said it would be wrong to panic, or even overreact to that after one game.
Lamb also said: “Everything is an overreaction when it comes to the star. Everything that we do is gonna be looked at under a magnifying glass. Just make sure you put the best stuff out because the camera is always on you. “I love it. I love every moment to make me a better man, a better player. You feel what I’m saying?
“I challenge myself, so, give me the toughest challenge. And I feel like, obviously, being here is definitely a tough challenge, because when everything’s good, everything’s fire. But that’s everywhere, right?
Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb Reveals Team Is ‘Spoiled’ Playing in Dallas