‘That’s what 88s do’: After early stumbles, CeeDee Lamb elevated his game vs. NYG
CeeDee #CeeDee
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — CeeDee Lamb kept smiling.
He smiled immediately after the drop when others might not have. He smiled several minutes afterward when Michael Gallup told him on the sideline, “You owe me one.” Lamb respectfully disagreed, telling Gallup he owed him two.
Lamb then hugged Gallup and, with a laugh, reenacted how that would-be deep catch — the kind that can reward the Cowboys’ faith in him as their No. 1 wide receiver, the sort befitting someone wearing that No. 88 jersey — slipped through his fingers.
Smiles can be contagious.
With how Lamb finished the game, his spread.
Lamb responded from a critical second-quarter drop to come alive on a decisive fourth-quarter possession. In a four-play span, he secured a fourth-and-4 catch through contact, extended a short catch for a 26-yard gain and pushed the Cowboys past the New York Giants with a one-handed, toe-tapping 1-yard touchdown in a 23-16 win.
This is Lamb’s third NFL season.
At times during his Cowboys tenure, he can make the difficult look easy but easy look difficult. The drop was a matter of concentration. Gallup said that Lamb told him he was thinking about the first move he’d make after than the reception, diverting his focus from the catch itself.
“It was very frustrating, honestly,” Lamb said, “just because I practice all week, all offseason on focusing in on the ball, and I let that slip away. It was tough personally.”
But it did not show.
Not on his face after that deflating drop — on social media, Cowboys fans criticized how aloof he seemed with his smile. His error occurred on the play immediately following a 27-yard run from Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys running back taking a pitch and running behind left tackle Tyler Smith in space. Smith freight-trained over two Giants defenders.
The drive would stall at the Giants’ 40-yard line, ending in a punt.
Lamb returned to the sideline.
“I told him, ‘Do me a favor and forget about it,’ quarterback Dak Prescott said. “Sure enough, he came back like nothing ever happened and made [the catch] one-handed and kept two feet in. People forget about that play later when you finish the game the right way. … It just shows his resiliency and what he’s going to do. No matter good play, bad play, he’s moving on.”
Elliott agreed.
“CeeDee has that 88 on for a reason,” Elliott said. “CeeDee is a superstar. He had a hell of a game. He had that one drop early, but he responded and had that big drive, that big touchdown catch. CeeDee is a hell of a player, and he’s only going to get better.”
A 6-2 bearded man wearing a black cowboy hat and white Cowboys jersey walked into the visitor locker room late Monday evening. He found Lamb and praised the wide receiver, telling him that is how it’s done. He encouraged him to ignore all the outside noise.
There Lamb was again in response.
Smiling.
Former Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant made sure Lamb knew his place in the No. 88 club was secure.
“He blocked out all the noise, just like we just talked about,” Bryant said. “That’s what you got to do. When you’re wearing that 88, that’s what’s going to come with it. You make a mistake. Things happen. Things didn’t go his way. Then, he made a one-handed catch. Come on. That’s 88 elite. That’s big ups to him. He puts in a position to win that game.
“That’s what 88s do.”
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