The first half of the Cowboys vs. Giants “Monday Night Football” game was a low-scoring affair. The two teams combined for just nine points before halftime and neither side was able to score a touchdown in the first 30 minutes.
That said, Dallas had its chances to do so. It couldn’t get the job done, and that was partly thanks to a brutal drop by CeeDee Lamb.
The Cowboys’ top receiver broke wide open on a downfield pass with just under five minutes left to play in the first half and Dallas leading 6-3. Lamb managed to get cornerback Dane Belton turned around and had five yards of separation on him when quarterback Cooper Rush’s pass came in his direction.
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Despite a perfect throw from Rush, Lamb was unable to make the catch. It bounced harmlessly off his hands and to the ground.
Had Lamb reeled in the pass, he would have had a chance to score. And even if Belton cut off his angle to the end zone, he would have set Dallas up with a red-zone drive.
Alas, he couldn’t do it, and he admitted during his postgame news conference that he was kicking himself for the mistake during the third quarter.
“Very frustrating, honestly,” Lamb said of his drop, per the Cowboys’ official website. “Just because I practiced all week, all offseason just on focusing in on the ball and I let that one slip away. It was a tough third quarter. I kept thinking about it. All the guys kept telling me, ‘Let it go. Let it go. We’ve still got more game left.’”
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The Cowboys seemed to make it a point to target Lamb more frequently even after his mistake. He saw nine of his 12 total targets after he dropped the deep ball, as Rush and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore placed an emphasis on targeting him after halftime.
That increased role gave Lamb the confidence he needed to snap out of the funk that plagued him after his drop.
“In the fourth quarter when I kept hearing my number being called, I knew it was my opportunity again,” Lamb said.
“I had to step up,” he added. “It was mandatory.”
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Lamb did have his number called early and often in the fourth quarter. On Dallas’ game-winning touchdown drive, the 23-year-old receiver was targeted five times. He brought in four of those passes for 48 yards and scored the decisive touchdown, a play on which he made a brilliant, one-handed catch and got his feet down on the left side of the end zone.
That helped Lamb atone for his earlier mistake, and he credited Moore for giving him a chance to make up for it.
“I appreciate Kellen for trusting in me and all the guys believing in my abilities,” Lamb said. “I was willing to do anything to make up for a touchdown, potentially, that I left in the (second) quarter.”
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Lamb — who finished the 23-16 Cowboys win with eight catches for 87 yards and a touchdown — also credited his teammates with instilling within him the confidence he needed to keep making plays.
By his estimation, that went a long way toward allowing him to overcome the drop and not let it derail his night.
“We preach toughness and willingness, and I was willing to put my body out on the line for the other 10 guys and the other guys on the sideline,” Lamb said. “They’re believing in me, they trust my talent, and so do I.
“It’s going to have its ebbs and flows. It’s all about being consistent and staying positive. Everything is not gonna go my way, but when it does, it’s gonna go big.”
