Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb had receiving 89 yards in seven catches against the Detroit Lions during a excruciating 47-9 loss in Week 6.
Despite Lamb’s numbers being decent, Sunday was yet another example of he and quarterback Dak Prescott not being on the same page.
Lamb and Prescott connected in half of their intended targets (14), with one ending in an interception and another being a clear miscommunication in which the receiver ran the wrong route. Thus far, the important Cowboys duo has looked off sync during the 2024 NFL season and the quarterback’s short postgame response on the matter says a lot about the pairing.
When asked why it’s taking so long for the two to get going, Prescott scratched his head and took a few seconds before answering before admitting he had no answer.
“Just off the top of my head (five second pause), it was a tough day in the sense that it wasn’t just about me and CeeDee,” Prescott explained. “Sure, there was one throw here, a route here—he’ll tell you. Protection wasn’t great on one. If I had the answer, I promise you we’d be a lot better.”
In short, Prescott and Lamb don’t have the exact answer about what’s broken in the chemistry that sparked All-Pro honors for each in 2023. As the quarterback explains, Sunday was also about other issues across the entire offense but in the absence of a defense capable of stopping the run and other weapons on offense, these two will need to find answers quickly. Their team needs them badly.
Prescott admitted postgame the interception to Lamb in the end zone was an anticipation issue on his part, explaining that he should’ve taken slightly longer to throw the football to allow for Jalen Tolbert to pull the attention of safety Brian Branch, who was running to the flat. Instead, Dak passed it to CeeDee early enough for Branch to make a play on the ball.
“Anticipated a little too much, a little too early, guy made a great play, initially driving on the flat, he’s got the flat in man (coverage),” Prescott explained “I threw it early with the (Cover Zero) blitz. I was protected, however, let it hang a little bit, and the (defender) comes off off that, makes a great catch. You can’t turn the ball over in the red zone.”
A common theme on Sunday’s postgame comments from coaches and players was all about making the most of the team’s upcoming bye week. Prescott and Lamb figuring out how they can get going and consistently make plays is perhaps the biggest development the offense could have.
