Dak Prescott threw an interception with 52 seconds left in Sunday’s first half. The Cowboys quarterback and his favorite receiver, CeeDee Lamb, haven’t been on the same page, something that has happened more often than the two would like this season.
On the sideline after the play, NBC cameras showed slow motion video of Lamb saying something to Prescott. Prescott never looked up from his tablet.
Everyone in Dallas-Fort Worth became lip readers this week, debating on social media and sports talk radio about what Lamb said to Prescott.
On Friday, Lamb revealed what he said to Prescott.
“Jump balls, four,” Lamb said, calling Prescott by his jersey number. “Bouncy balls. I got you.”
Lamb looked for a jump ball in the back of the end zone. Prescott threw Lamb a shoulder pass that Steelers cornerback Donte Jackson picked off.
“You guys can’t read lips to save your lives,” Prescott said, via Jon Machota of TheAthletic.com. “That was honestly comical. To see social media after the game or whatever and to say CeeDee had words for me, I was like, ‘When?’ I think CeeDee said it best: that guy is my brother. We hold each other to a very high standard.
“I just made a split [second] stupid decision. It’s a shame that if you have the ball in your hand every time, you can’t make it. Just another example of you guys trying to make something out of nothing.”
Lamb has just one fourth-quarter reception this season — a 9-yarder on the game-winning drive against the Steelers last week — and is on pace for 1,285 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Last season, he earned All-Pro honors with 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns.
However, Lamb did not participate in the offseason program and held out through training camp and the preseason as he sought a contract extension. The Cowboys made him the second-highest paid non-quarterback before the season.
The time away from the team between the end of last season and the start of this season could play a role in Lamb’s numbers. Teams are also paying more attention to him, especially in the second half.
The Lions arrive Sunday and give Lamb a chance to right himself. He caught 13 of his 17 targets from Prescott for 227 yards and a touchdown in last season’s game at Arlington in which Dallas won 20-19.
“That felt good,” Prescott said. “A long time ago. I’d love to get into a groove like that with him again. What a great opportunity we have to try to get that connection going again. It’s a defense we know. … They’ll definitely try to take him away, especially if you look back at that game. You see the numbers he was able to produce.
“We have different ways to give him the ball and have confidence in what he can do. But it would be great to get back into that rhythm. And when you’re in a rhythm like that, with an elite receiver, it’s a rare feeling.”
