The Dallas Cowboys kicked off their preseason campaign with a 31-21 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night. While there were a lot of takeaways from the players on the field, star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb may have had the moment of the night, even though he didn’t even suit up for this game.
Lamb spent the night cheering on his teammates from the sidelines, but he still managed to impact the game when he was penalized for referee interference during the contest. After the game, one of the referees from the game, Alex Moore, took a second to explain what led to the penalty.
What Happened on CeeDee Lamb’s Unique Penalty?
The Cowboys opted to play it safe with several of their players in the preseason opener, and that included Lamb. The superstar wide receiver is a crucial piece of Dallas’ offensive plans in 2025, so the team would obviously rather have him healthy for the regular season when the games actually matter.
And yet, Lamb still found a way to put himself in harm’s way during this game. In the second quarter, Joe Milton took a deep shot for Jonathan Mingo on 3rd & 26, with Mingo getting behind his defender. Lamb celebrated prematurely, as he thought the play would end up being a surefire completion. He ended up walking in front of the referee’s path, though, and he ran full speed into a celebrating Lamb, as he did not see him.
While Mingo did not catch the pass, Shaun Jolly committed pass interference on him. The problem was that Lamb got penalized for referee interference, so it ended up setting Dallas 15 yards back, giving them 1st & 25 instead of 1st & 10. After the game, Moore explained one of the more unique penalties the NFL has seen.
“It’s a sideline interference,” Moore said in the pool report after the game. “CeeDee Lamb was standing in the restricted white border area, which is our area to officiate the game. The official on the play was focused solely on doing his job and he ran into CeeDee Lamb, who was standing in that restricted area. That’s what happened. And with that contact, it’s an automatic foul.”
CeeDee Lamb Escapes Cowboys Preseason Opener Unscathed
Getty|Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
The first concern that Cowboys fans everywhere had when seeing the clip of Lamb getting steamrolled by a referee was that he had suffered some sort of injury. Thankfully, both parties were able to walk away from this encounter unharmed, which is particularly noteworthy for Dallas, considering how important Lamb is to their operation.
You can bet Lamb will be more conscious about where he’s standing on the sidelines moving forward, as he doesn’t want to take any more hits than he already has to. With their first preseason game in the books, Lamb and the Cowboys will hit the practice field again this week as they begin preparing for their second preseason contest, which will take place on Aug. 16 against the Baltimore Ravens.
