Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb, tied for NFL lead in drops, has easy fix: ‘I need to catch the f—ing ball’

FRISCO, Texas — This is still not a conversation CeeDee Lamb is used to having. 

Through the first four years of his sensational career, the Dallas Cowboys All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb had never registered double-digit drops. But last year, with quarterback Dak Prescott knocked out of the 2024 season halfway through the year, Lamb hit a career-high 11 drops, per TruMedia. 

From the jump in 2025, drops have been an issue for Lamb. And through 11 games now, No. 88 is already up to eight of them — tied for the most in the NFL. 

Six of those drops came in the two matchups with the Philadelphia Eagles. Lamb had four on 13 targets in Dallas’ Week 1 loss in Philadelphia and two more on 11 targets in Sunday’s come-from-behind win to set up a colossal Thanksgiving Day showdown vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. 

One of Lamb’s drops on Sunday came at the worst possible time. Dallas faced a third-and-goal from the one in a 21-21 game with 3:50 left on the clock, and Prescott hit a diving Lamb in the right corner of the end zone. However, the football bounced up off his forearm and then to the ground for an incompletion. Prescott threw another incompletion on the ensuing fourth-and-goal.

Asked Tuesday what his conversations are like with Prescott amid his current struggles, Lamb’s answer was simple.

“You just find ways to get better. You want to be solution oriented and not really much to dwell on the problem. Granted, we know the problem, I need to catch the f—ing ball,” Lamb said. “Other than that, man, we’ll be fine. When I do catch it, be ready.”

Memorably, Lamb after his Week 1 struggles vs. Philadelphia had said, “I need to catch the damn ball.” The situation has now been escalated. 

Given no player has totaled more catches (404), receiving yards (5,402) or receiving touchdowns (33) from Prescott in his 10-season career than Lamb has, the Cowboys quarterback expects a “huge game” from his top target on Thanksgiving Thursday against the three-time defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs (6-5). He alluded to Lamb producing 112 yards while catching 9 of his 11 passes with just one drop in Dallas’ 40-37 Week 2 overtime win over the New York Giants the week after the four frustrating drops in Week 1 as a proof of concept. 

“Just go back and look at the career, right,” Prescott said. “Any game that maybe he’s not done to his standard or had a drop there or been a frustrating game, the way he’s responded has been unquestionable.” 

Prescott is not likely to directly address the drops with Lamb in the lead-up to Thursday because he feels like the two giving the storyline more oxygen could potentially do more harm than good. 

“I’m not going to panic, and he shouldn’t panic,” Prescott said. “It was one game. It was a frustrating game. But other than that, it’s not like the guy can’t go win a game by himself. 

“I’m not going to make a bigger deal out of it. I think sometimes people do, media does, in a sense, and that creates anxiety and pressure on a guy that doesn’t belong. I don’t even know if that’s a conversation that we’re necessarily going to have. It wasn’t his best game. He knows that. He’s well aware of that. His standard and his expectations, there’s no doubt in my mind the way that he’ll respond will be great.”

While some who watched Sunday’s game on TV appeared to think Lamb yelling and gesturing after his end zone drop and on the sideline felt Lamb was taking out his frustration on Prescott or his teammates, Lamb made it clear that wasn’t the case. He says the issue is “all on me.”

“It’s really just a lack of focus on my end, honestly, just thinking and doing two before one,” Lamb said. “There’s been plenty of that going on and by that, I’m thinking about my next move before catching the ball and things of that nature. It’s not really much on anybody else but myself and I’ve never been one to point the finger but yeah, it’s all on me and I got to handle that.” 

Other Cowboys fans have theorized the drops are because Lamb is struggling to cope with fellow Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens statistically outshining him thus far this season with consecutive 140-yard games in wins at the Las Vegas Raiders and against the Eagles the last two weeks. It doesn’t sound like that’s the case, at least when CBS Sports asked Lamb about Pickens’ eruptions the last two weeks. 

“He needs to go get another one, and I’m a fan of it, I’ve I’ve done it,” Lamb said. “I know he can do it again, and I know he will, and he’s doing it with flying colors. Man, I’m proud of him.” 

Prescott currently views one-on-one throws to both Pickens and Lamb as clear-cut matchup advantages for him dropping back to pass at the moment, Lamb’s struggles be damned. 

“I have so much confidence in our guys going and making the play,” Prescott said. “I said before, it’s not even a 50-50 ball. The favor lies in our hands. I’ve just got to give them an opportunity and I tell them when we break the huddle, throughout this game and this process, we’ve just got to run. You run hard and you show and you make it obvious to me that it’s one-on-one down the field, you’re going to get the opportunity.”

Dallas head coach and play- caller Brian Schottenheimer made it clear to the world on Tuesday that his gameplan won’t change because of what happened with Lamb in Week 12. No. 88 will have plenty of plays on his call sheet as Prescott’s first read as always. 

“He loves the bright lights,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s an incredible football player and he’s got that look in his eye that means business. It’s the same look he had after the first Philadelphia game. I think I let the cat out of the bag a little, but there will be plenty of balls going to 88 on Thursday afternoon.”    

What does that look in Lamb’s eye mean? He’s feeling like his dog days are about to be over. 

“It’s not really anybody in my way — I’m the only one guarding myself, I feel like,” Lamb said. “We are going to fix that. … As far as Schotty calling my number, he knows I’m always out there. I’m always available for him and Dak and to build that confidence. Let’s get to it.”