It was not supposed to be this way. Certainly, it did not look like it would be the case coming in. Few quarterback-receiver tandems in the league have been better this season than Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys. But in the playoff opener against the Packers, a 48-32 disaster at every level, the inability of Prescott and Lamb to get on the same page was one of the bizarre side stories that seemed to sum up the Cowboys’ very bad day.
Lamb’s numbers wound up being very good—nine catches for 110 yards—but most of those came when the Cowboys were way behind and in desperation mode. In the first half, Lamb managed only one catch, and it came just before the two-minute warning in the second quarter.
Lamb had 18 targets altogether. Five of those came in the first half, and he had only the one catch. He and Prescott were obviously out of synch and seemed to express their frustration with each other. One pass was a clear drop that hit Lamb in the hands. Another was an overthrow from Prescott.
Lamb was the target, too, when Packers safety Darnell Savage stepped in front of a Prescott pass, made the interception and ran for a touchdown that ran the score to 27-0 late in the second quarter.
Darnell Savage makes the PLAY OF HIS CAREER and picks Dak Prescott off and takes it back for the TOUCHDOWN💥 #SAVAGE
pic.twitter.com/t8OoeevBKB— IKE Packers Podcast (@IKE_Packers) January 14, 2024
“Couple of miscues,” Lamb said. “Everyday things. Those are completions we normally have. I understand on my part, I could have been better. I’m sure he could say the same. Not really pointing fingers, just could have done a better job.”
Dak Prescott & CeeDee Lamb Starred All Season
Prescott, of course, is an MVP candidate this year. He was third in the NFL with 4,516 yards passing and second among starting quarterbacks with a 105.9 rating.
Lamb led the NFL with 135 catches this year, and was No. 2 in yardage at 1,749. He was third in touchdowns with 12 and second in first downs with 80. At Pro Football Focus, Lamb is rated the No. 3 receiver in the league with a 91.1 grade this season, behind only Tyreek Hill and Brandon Aiyuk of the 49ers.
It was bizarre watching the duo struggle to get on the same page on Sunday. At one point during the broadcast, play-by-play man Kevin Burkhardt noted, “There’s a very weird vibe there between Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.”
Lamb had no excuses.
“Obviously we did not come out and execute like we should have to begin the game. The rest was downhill,” Lamb said at his locker after the game. “We were kind of playing from behind. In this league that is probably the worst thing you can do. Kinda got—not even kind of—we knew we were in obvious passing situations and it made us one-dimensional and we had to continually make plays.”
Cowboys Loss Was ‘Terrible’
Lamb was not exactly chatty with the loss, as he often is. He was asked whether the blowout loss felt different than the past losses the Cowboys have suffered in the playoffs.
“Still feels the same. We lost,” he said.
Asked to sum up his emotions, Lamb said, “Terrible. Obviously, I wish we were playing next week. But unfortunately, that is not the case.”
And speaking on his very slow first half and the fact that he did not make a catch until the half was nearly over, Lamb only said, “It was tough, man. Tough.”
It’s understandable that it was tough on CeeDee Lamb. But it was tough on just about everyone watching, too.
