Star receiver CeeDee Lamb took the heat for drops that cost the Dallas Cowboys a shot at upsetting the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night.
"Man, that was terrible," Lamb said following the 24-20 loss, via the team’s official website. "I can't point fingers at anybody else. I take full accountability and everything else that comes with that. As a player, I've prayed for moments like that, and for the ball to come my way. To not come up with it, it stings a little bit."
Next Gen Stats credited Lamb with two drops on the night, though you could make the case that the number should be three. He also had a shot at a tough diving attempt on the Cowboys' final offensive play of the night.
The biggest Lamb flubs came in the fourth quarter. The first was a third-down dart from Dak Prescott over the middle, which went right through the receiver's hands and clanged off his helmet. On the final drive, Lamb got open deep for a potential game-flipping play, but the ball slid through his hands.
"Don't worry about CeeDee Lamb," Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. "CeeDee's going to be fine. What a great player. This was a team defeat, and we own that. We understand where we can go as a football team. We understand. I love the competition. I thought guys competed their butts off. I thought that was great, but we're all about winning, and we didn't win tonight, and therefore it's not good enough."
Prescott refused to blame Lamb, noting that throughout the course of a 60-minute game, there were plays everyone wants back.
"There wasn't a big, long talk we needed to have," Prescott said. "He took ownership and accountability. He shut me up in the same sense of taking accountability. It wasn't just those plays. There are throws I want back. But it's Game 1, and he's a guy who's gonna make those plays. We're not gonna get down on him or lose confidence in him, by any means. He will make those plays [in the future]."
The drops overshadowed Lamb's strong opener. He started hot, with 76 first-quarter yards, and finished with seven catches for 110 yards on 13 targets. Lamb also became the fourth Cowboy with 500 career receptions (joining Jason Witten, Michael Irvin and Dez Bryant).
"I will tell you that if you think I'm not coming back 80 times harder than this -- you've got another thing coming," the four-time Pro Bowler said. "... God has a mysterious way of humbling folks, and I did come in with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder. Lesson well learned. I deserve everything that comes with it. ... The [drops] down the stretch really hurt me a lot because I've prayed for those types of things. But, again, it's Game 1. I'll be back. I just hope everybody else is ready."
Lamb's flubs also took some shine off of Prescott's outing, which was much more impressive than the box score would indicate. Given the defensive shortcomings, the Cowboys will need the Prescott-Lamb duo to put up numbers if they're to avoid a second consecutive losing season.
