ARLINGTON, Texas -- At this point in the 2024 season, the Dallas Cowboys hold their collective breath every time All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb hits the ground hard. That's because he's been battling through an AC joint sprain in his shoulder since a Week 9 game at the Atlanta Falcons.
During the Cowboys' 26-24 upset win on "Sunday Night Football" over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Lamb went off for 105 receiving yards on seven catches, and as a result, he became the first player in Cowboys history with at least 100 yards in the first half in consecutive games. Fifty-two of those yards came on a catch-and-run down the right sideline late in the second quarter, a play which ended with him hitting his shoulder on the ground hard. So hard that he was announced as questionable to return in the AT&T Stadium press box. However, almost immediately after the announcement was made, Lamb was back in the game, and he caught a 10-yard pass that came up just an inch short of a touchdown. Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott plunged into the end zone to give Dallas a 20-7 lead on the very next play with under two minutes left in the second quarter.
"I really scored," Lamb said postgame with a grin. "But yeah, my shoulder is out of whack. Bro, I'm not even going to even lie to you. I'm just out there battling and doing what I do. Yeah bro, it's not fun."
"I'm so proud of CeeDee just fighting to get back in there. It just tells you a lot about him," Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said postgame. "Obviously, we were in and out and trying to get back to some things because we felt he was going to have some opportunities today. We were able to get hi out there on a couple of them."
CeeDee Lamb is ridiculous
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So why is Lamb still playing ball at all with the Cowboys eliminated from postseason contention? Love of the game.
"I love this game that much. I'm literally willing to put my body out there on the line for my guys," Lamb said. "Not so much show how tough I am, but it shows. It's the ground that's beating me up bro. I can't avoid it."
Some fans in Dallas took Lamb's offseason holdout that led to his four-year, $136 million contract extension as a sign that he didn't truly love the game of football, but after grinding his way through the second half of the season well below 100%, the 25-year-old has put that storyline to bed.
"I feel like now I've kind of went way past the narrative of the money situation," Lamb said. "I do it for the money, of course, but it's way more than that. ... Right now, I'm living my dream. For anyone that's thinking that I'm [only] playing for the money is kind of insane."
What's insane is Lamb's production, especially with face of the franchise quarterback Dak Prescott sidelined with a torn hamstring. He's up to 101 receptions (tied for the second-most in the NFL this season) and 1,194 receiving yards (the third-most in the NFL this season), which has him up to 496 career catches. That figure vaulted him past Cowboys Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Drew Pearson (489 career catches) for the fourth-most in Dallas team history. Lamb is also only the third player in NFL history with at least 100 or more catches in three of his first five seasons along with Brandon Marshall and Michael Thomas.
"It's tough this year to really think about any of the accolades right now," Lamb said. "It's just about staying healthy and keeping my shoulder attached to my body. I'm being dead serious. ... It's tough. It's like I'm fighting a personal battle and then a team battle. Obviously, it's trying to win everything. You can't win them all, but I know what I can do to do be impactful when I'm out there. So every opportunity I get being out there, they [opposing defenses] have to watch me or else."
"He's a warrior," Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush said of Lamb postgame. "That guy is as tough as they come. He's out there, moving him around, throwing it to him or handing it to him. It felt real good to get him down the field tonight. He's been doing a lot of shorter stuff, throwing screens, yards after catch and tonight he showed what he can do down the field too."
Lamb made it perfectly clear that when he's on the field, he doesn't want anyone worrying about his shoulder. All the All-Pro wants is for the Cowboys' offense to be run exactly the same as if he was feeling fully healthy. With that approach, Lamb is producing as if that is the case.
"When I'm out there, I'm playing," Lamb said. "My coaches be asking me the same situation: 'do I want this, do I want to do this?' Man, if I'm out there, let's just play. I will worry about my shoulder, let's go play because then I feel like the defense starts to pick up on that and then a lot of things go left. As for me man, I'm hurting. I'm hurting bad, but I'm trying to win."
