Why didn’t Dallas Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens start against Raiders?
The Dallas Cowboys entered their Week 11 “Monday Night Football” game against the Las Vegas Raiders needing a win to keep their playoff hopes viable.
However, they benched two of their top offensive players, wide receivers George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, on the first drive of the game.
What caused the benching?
According to ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salter, they were benched by “coach’s decision,” and it had nothing to do with injury. The Cowboys failed to pick up a first down on their opening series without the pair, and Lamb and Pickens played on the second drive.
Shortly after the initial drive, a team official said that it was related to a disciplinary issue, citing that the receivers “missed some things” that forced them to the bench. After the game, head coach Brian Schottenheimer echoed the same sentence. Lamb said he “didn’t want to get into it,” and Pickens said he’ll keep it between them and Schottenheimer.
Lamb and Pickens returned on the second drive and helped propel the Cowboys to a 33-16 victory. Pickens caught nine passes for 144 yards and a touchdown, and Lamb had five grabs for 66 yards and a score.
“Yeah, again, it’s tough. Made a coach’s decision,” Schottenheimer said. “There were some things that were missed, and so had a conversation with those guys, and that was easy. But, I mean, you look at the energy those guys play with. They jump-started the offense when they got back in there. They didn’t hang their heads. They didn’t do any of that stuff, and that’s why I love those guys, man. And again, this was a great team win.”
The Star-Telegram’s Nick Harris contributed to this story.
This story was originally published November 17, 2025 at 7:46 PM.
