CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It doesn’t take an expert to identify that CeeDee Lamb has been playing through a painful shoulder injury. And much like the Dallas Cowboys over the last four games, it hasn’t prevented their star wide receiver from playing as if they are competing for a playoff spot.
The postseason is a long shot, but the Cowboys kept the door slightly cracked with a 30-14 win Sunday afternoon over the Carolina Panthers. Lamb was a big part of the offense’s success, particularly in the first half when he caught eight of his 10 targets for 105 yards and a touchdown.
“It’s a well-known thing that my shoulder is hurting,” Lamb said, “so I feel like these guys are definitely trying to put their best hit on me. You gotta come a little harder than that.”
Lamb sprained his AC joint in Dallas’ Week 9 loss at Atlanta. He hasn’t missed a game since.
“He’s just a tough, talented, dynamic football player,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “You can’t find enough ways to get him the ball. And the beauty of CeeDee is you can line him up in the backfield 10 times and hand it to him because he’s a natural runner with the football. … We just have to continue to find ways to get him the ball.”
Lamb got things going on Dallas’ third offensive possession, turning a third-down screen into a 20-yard gain. On the next third down, quarterback Cooper Rush found Lamb on a deep ball along the right sideline for 28 more yards. Lamb then capped things off by adjusting in the end zone to make a highlight grab on a back-shoulder throw from Rush.
All CeeDee. All the time.
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“Offensively, the guys are looking to me for a spark,” Lamb said. “I’m going to continue to do that. I look at myself as a spark as well. I feel like I can score from anywhere on the field, no matter how deep. I want to be a threat every time I touch it.”
Sunday’s game marked only Lamb’s second 100-yard game of the season. But his efforts allowed him to go over 1,000 yards for the fourth consecutive year. He is the first player in Cowboys history to record 1,000 receiving yards in four of his first five seasons. The previous record was held by Dez Bryant with three.
CeeDee Lamb by the numbers
| YEAR | G | REC | YARDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2024 |
14 |
94 |
1,089 |
6 |
|
2023 |
17 |
135 |
1,749 |
12 |
|
2022 |
17 |
107 |
1,359 |
9 |
|
2021 |
16 |
79 |
1,102 |
6 |
|
2020 |
16 |
74 |
935 |
5 |
“It means a lot,” Lamb said. “It means all the hard work is paying off. I’m mad consistent with my work and the approach to every year. It’s good to see that it shows up. Obviously I’m grateful, grateful for the opportunity, grateful for being in this organization and doing what I’m doing. I’m looking forward to many more of those.”
In a year when injuries have cost the Cowboys so many star players, Lamb has been the one constant every Sunday. His playmaking and durability are two of the top reasons Dallas signed him to a four-year, $136 million contract extension in August, making him the second-highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
“He’s a quarterback’s best friend,” McCarthy said. “He’s easy to throw the ball to. He’s got great body control. When he gets even, he’s leaving with a DB. That’s what you look for in your No. 1 receiver. He’s everything you ever wanted and more.”
With franchise QB Dak Prescott lost for the season to a hamstring injury, a standout experienced playmaker like Lamb has been the best thing for a backup like Rush. It also makes more possible for the team’s other wide receivers because of all the attention he commands from opponents. Rush targeted Lamb a game-high 13 times Sunday. No other Cowboy was targeted more than five. But Rush was also able to find wide receivers Jalen Tolbert and Jalen Brooks in the end zone to give him the first three-touchdown passing game of his career.
GO DEEPER
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“I mean he is unbelievable,” Rush said of Lamb. “A couple of throws today he just takes for 20 yards, a screen here, a screen there. The adjustment he makes on the touchdown throw, it’s just elite level instincts that a lot of guys don’t have at that level. He is just pretty easy to throw to and you have to get him the ball.”
Lamb had a career-year last season, finishing with career-highs in targets (181), receptions (135), receiving yards (1,749) and receiving touchdowns (12). He’s on pace to finish this season with 1,322 yards and seven touchdowns. The numbers and wins won’t add up to the previous two seasons, but it’s pretty clear that it won’t stop Lamb from trying to finish out the final three games as strong as possible.
“I always have belief,” he said. “I don’t care how many games we’ve lost. I don’t care how many games we’ve won. I just know how much we have to do to finish the season off and the rest will take care of itself.”
(Photo: Grant Halverson / Getty Images)
