FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys' Thanksgiving victory over the New York Giants in Week 13 was almost perfect -- except for All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb reaggravating the AC join sprain injury in his shoulder.
Lamb tweaked the AC joint sprain in his right shoulder with approximately eight minutes left in the third quarter. He attempted to play through the injury but departed the game after a few plays. However, he brought good news about his injury to light after the team's Thursday practice: he'll be good to go for "Monday Night Football" against the Cincinnati Bengals (4-8). He originally suffered the injury in Week 9 at the Atlanta Falcons when he fell on his shoulder three times. Lamb powered through the injury to stay in the game that day, and he played the entirety of Weeks 10-12 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans and Washington Commanders.
"I still have a shoulder injury, which I've been dealing with for about four or five weeks now," Lamb said Thursday. "It comes with the territory man. It's about being a baller, and it's about going out there and sacrificing and putting yourself out there for your guys. That's what I'm doing. As far as Monday goes, I'll be fine by then."
This isn't Lamb's first experience with an AC joint sprain in his shoulder since he also dealt with this injury as a freshman at Oklahoma in 2017. The only way through it is to fight it.
"It's not a pleasant feeling, obviously for everyone that's experienced an AC [joint] sprain. They understand what I'm going through," Lamb said. "It's fine. You got to take it day to day. You have to stay on it. You have to keep recovering. You got to keep [on it] even when it starts feeling good, you got to stay on it. So with that, it's a big tricky, but it ain't nothing I haven't been dealing with before. ... It starts off as a mental thing before it becomes an unfathomable pain."
Fortunately for Lamb, he will have had 11 days between games with the Cowboys last playing on Thanksgiving before suiting up against the Bengals on the Week 14 edition of "Monday Night Football" on Dec. 9
"Oh yeah, for sure. Most def," Lamb said when asked if the time off has helped with the pain. "The first couple days were tougher to say the least, but right now I have my range of motion. I have my strength back."
Dealing with drops without Dak
Lamb has had an uncharacteristic year with nine drops in 2024, tied for the most he's ever had in a season of his five-year NFL career. He suffered through nine drops as a rookie in 2020.
A third of those drops occurred in Week 13 against the Giants. Fortunately for Lamb, his miscues didn't cost the Cowboys in a 27-20 victory that extended the team's win streak to two games. He also claims he'll be able to put them in the rearview mirror while battling through his shoulder injury.
"It's more of a mental thing now," he said. "Obviously, I know what I bring to the table and I know that's not me. Just kind of battling myself to begin with. That's an easy fix. Granted, I'm glad it didn't cost us the game [on Thanksgiving] for one, and my teammates were there to pick me up. That's what football is all about. Be there when your brothers need you. I needed them."
What's the connection between 2020 and 2024? Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott went down with season-ending injuries. In 2020, Prescott fractured his ankle, and in 2024, Prescott suffered a hamstring tear. The connection between Lamb and Cowboys eight-year backup quarterback Cooper Rush, who is starting in Prescott's place, is work in progress. However, Lamb feels their on-field chemistry is close to erupting for a big play any game now.
"Confidence," Lamb said when asked where Rush has improved the last couple of weeks. "Confidence, decision-making and just being poised. Everything he has done. ... We're maybe one or two plays away from something breaking [open]. Coop just need to continue doing him. I know he will, and I have no doubt about it. ... Coop is doing a great job of getting all the receivers together and leading the rally."
| Cooper Rush this season | Weeks 10-11 (vs. PHI, vs. HOU) | Weeks 12-13 (at WAS, vs. NYG) |
|---|---|---|
W-L | 0-2 | 2-0 |
| Team PPG | 8.0 | 30.5 |
Comp Pct | 57.7% | 66.2% |
Pass YPG | 199.5 | 221.0 |
Pass Yards/Att | 5.1 | 6.5 |
TD-INT | 1-1 | 3-0 |
| Fumbles Lost | 2 | 0 |
Passer Rating | 70.4 | 99.0 |
EPA/Dropback | -0.32 | 0.07 |
Lamb vs. Chase
Two of the best wide receivers in the entire NFL will go toe-to-toe Monday night at AT&T Stadium. That's when the league's leader in receiving yards (1,142) and receiving touchdowns (13) -- Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase -- will share a field with Lamb, whose 79 catches are tied for the second-most in the NFL and whose 880 receiving yards are tied for the fifth-most in the NFL. Their respective teams are 1-1 against each other in their last two meetings. Lamb's Cowboys won, 20-17, over Chase's Bengals in Week 2 of the 2022 season, and Chase's LSU Tigers stomped Lamb's Oklahoma Sooners, 63-28, in the 2019 College Football Playoff semifinals.
Even though they aren't on the field at the same time, Lamb relishes the matchup.
"Yeah obviously it's fun being a part of games like that," Lamb said when asked about playing other top receivers like Chase. "He's a great talent over there and vice versa. I've seen him for years, going back to 2019, saw him at LSU. He's a great player. He's a great player. Hell of a player, actually. He's doing a great job of exceeding all expectations that he set for himself this year. I'm excited to see it out there. But as for me, I have to go out there and play my game regardless. That's what makes this game as exciting as it is. You got two great players on the offensive side of the ball looking to make the plays, make big plays and at any point, go score a touchdown."