Why Dallas Cowboys record-setting WR CeeDee Lamb says he’s the best pass catcher in NFL
He avoided a pass rush and tossed the football off his back foot while falling backwards.
Receiver CeeDee Lamb caught the ball for an 17-yard gain at the 11.
A few plays later, Prescott seemingly stuck his tongue with a little swag as he scored on a 10-yard run en route to a record-setting performance with 404 yards passing and four touchdowns in the air and on one the ground in a 49-17 rout of the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium Sunday.
After the game, Prescott acknowledged that play was not about Prescott living right but Lamb continuing his own record-setting hot streak.
Prescott was actually trying to throw the ball away but he didn’t get enough on it.
And out of nowhere came Lamb to reel the ball in.
‘That’s Ceedee Lamb being Ceedee Lamb,” Prescott said. “I didn’t quite get it out of bounds and CeeDee came back and that’s kind of why I stuck out my tongue. Just put it put in his vicinity and it’s gonna be his or nobody’s. That was a wild play. It was funny.
“Obviously, when you’re hot, you’re feeling good and trying to be safe with the throw. Trying to get it out of bounds, but for it to be short. Credit to him, coming back and fighting for it and making the catch. Just says really where he is.”
Where Lamb is as a receiver right now is in another stratosphere that he says puts him in the unique category as the best as his position in the league.
What’s certain is no Cowboys receiver has started the season off hotter and no player in the NFL history has had a better than game stretch that Lamb over the past three weeks.
With 11 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown against the Giants, Lamb became the first player in NFL history to record at least 10 receptions and 150 receiving yards in three consecutive games.
He had 11 for 191 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles last week and 12 for 158 against the Los Angeles Rams the previous game.
Lamb is the first Cowboy with 150 receiving yards in three consecutive games. The last NFL player with a three-game streak of 150 receiving yards was Josh Gordon in 2013.
He is the first player in franchise history, 11th in NFL history, with three consecutive games of 10-plus receptions.
And Lamb, whose 68 receptions are the most in franchise history through nine games, is the first Cowboys player to have four games with 10-plus receptions and 100-plus receiving yards in the same season.
“Absolutely,” Lamb answered when asked if he was in a zone, “and it’s not stopping.”
“I’m the top receiver in this game, and it’s no question about it,” Lamb said. “If there is, I’ll see you all again next week.”
The weeks have come fast and furious for Lamb since complaining about his touches in usage in the team’s 42-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers when he had four catches for 49 yards.
It was his third straight game with just four catches after recording 11 for 143 yards in Week 2.
Add in the four-catch performance in the season opener and Lamb blew a fuse and let everyone know it, including head coach Mike McCarthy, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and Prescott.
The Cowboys responded. They heard the message loud and clear and shaping the passing game around the two-time Pro Bowler who has led the team in receiving in each of the last three seasons.
After recording 27 receptions for 358 yards and one touchdown in the first five games, Lamb has 41 receptions for 639 yards and three touchdowns the past four games beginning with seven for 117 against the Los Angeles Chargers before the 10-catch, 150-yard streak.
McCarthy has moved him around to get him open and away from double teams.
And it was McCarthy who recognized that Lamb was two catches and less than 10 yards away from the record in the fourth quarter and left him on the field with Prescott to make history.
“How many times are you in a position like that? You feel worse as a coach if I walk in there and you ask me why the hell didn’t you leave him out there for nine yards,” McCarthy said. “I’ve had it happen before. I think this league is so competitive, when you are in that position. I think it’s the respect that you should show your player to accomplish that record.”
McCarthy said it’s cool that Lamb is on a roll and even cooler that he and Prescott have a good thing going and will continue to grow with the Cowboys.
So where does Prescott think Lamb ranks among the league’s top receivers?
“That’s an obvious question for me. Number one, he’s the guy that I throw to,” Prescott said. “I know the work that he puts into this. You’re not going to be able to cover him one-on-one. I don’t know who you are or who you have, or who you think you have on the other side, you’re just not going to be able to cover him. At that point, you’re forced to put two people on him and he will still beat that at times.
“Talented guy and he’s young. That’s one of the bigger things and me promoting him and how great he is. He’s scratching the surface and these last few games are what you see when we give him the targets and put the ball in his hands as much as we can. He’s special.”
This story was originally published November 13, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
