It was a meaningful day for Cowboys star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb in the blowout win, 30-14, over the Panthers. He caught nine passes from backup quarterback Cooper Rush, totaling 116 yards, which put him at 1,089 yards for the season, marking the fourth straight season that Lamb has gone over the 1,000-yard mark.
That’s impressive for anyone, but it is especially impressive for Lamb this season, given the fact that the Cowboys have such a dearth of top-shelf weapons outside of Lamb and the fact that star quarterback Dak Prescott was not 100% to start the year and has been out for the season with a hamstring injury going back to Week 9 against Atlanta.
Lamb spoke with reporters after the game.
“It means a lot,” Lamb said of his milestone. “It means all the hard work is paying off. Mad consistent with my work and the approach towards every year. And it is good to see it is showing up. Obviously, I am grateful for it, grateful for the opportunity, grateful for being in this organization and doing what I am doing. Looking forward to many more of those.”
CeeDee Lamb Taking Hits to his Injured Shoulder
But it was not all smooth sailing for Lamb in the game. he has been dealing with a shoulder injury for much of the year, and he has found that defensive backs trying to cover him have taken special aim at the injury. It happened on Sunday when Carolina defensive back Xavier Woods was flagged for a rough hit on Lamb in the second quarter.
Woods was called for leading with his helmet into Lamb, who said he’s getting used to that sort of thing–but that DBs will need to do more to throw him off his game.
Said Lamb: “I feel like it’s a well-known thing that my shoulder is hurting so I feel like these guys are trying to put their best hit on me so, I mean, you gotta come a little harder than that. … Need to bring a little more.”
Cowboys ‘Belief” Level Remains High
Despite what is an apparently lost cause of a season for the Cowboys, who are now 6-8 and will only have the slightest of chances to earn a playoff spot even if they win out from here, Lamb says he remains hopeful that the Cowboys can hit 9-8 and go from there.
“I always have that mentality and obviously offensively the guys are looking to me as a spark,” he said. “So with that, I am going to continue to do that, and I look at myself as a spark as well. I feel like I can personally score from anywhere on the field, no matter how deep. So with that being said, I want to be a threat any time I touch it.”
His belief in this team is still there.
“It’s real,” Lamb said. “Very real. I always have belief. I don’t care how many games we lost, how many games we won. I just know how much we gotta do to finish the season out.”
