ARLINGTON, Texas — Washington won the coin toss Sunday and deferred, giving the ball to the Dallas Cowboys first. CeeDee Lamb caught 3 passes for 41 yards on the opening drive, the last a 3-yard touchdown, and finished with 8 catches for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders at AT&T Stadium, including the record-breaking 249th touchdown pass of Dak Prescott’s career.
The Cowboys had managed 20 points in the Week 1 loss at the Giants, and Washington put the Dallas offense on the field first anyway.
“Honestly, personally, I just kinda take it offensive that they wanna put our offense out first, like we’re not who we are,” Lamb said. “So from now on, I feel like we just gotta control the narrative and control what we do. If they give us the ball first, we go score first.”
Dallas scored on each of its first three possessions and had the lead 4:59 into the game. Lamb had 6 catches for 94 yards by halftime, and his 38-yard catch down the right side on the second drive was the longest play of the game for either team.
“Honestly, it was just about how fast can we come out? How efficient can we be? Just make as many plays as we possibly can. And I meant positive plays. But we just want to come out and be flawless,” Lamb explained. “Like, obviously, we feel like that’s our standard. And the only way that we can do that is going out there and converting every first down, staying ahead of the chains, relying [on] one another, and then one of us getting [in] the end zone. It just happened to be me first this week.”
CeeDee Lamb Tracks Down Dak Prescott’s Record Ball
Lamb’s second touchdown came with 3:07 left, a 24-yard catch on a slightly underthrown ball that he took from a Washington defender at the goal line. It moved Prescott past Tony Romo for the most touchdown passes in franchise history, and Lamb has caught 37 of them, more than anyone else.
“That was crazy to find out,” Lamb said. “It was obviously a lot of emotion. We needed to close the game out. I’m happy he relied on me to make that play. And I’m happy for [him].”
FOX cameras caught Lamb hunting for the ball after the catch. He brought it to Prescott on the sideline.
“No, I’m just happy for him,” Lamb said. “Nobody else is more deserving than he is as far as that achievement. And I know we’ve got many more to go.”
Dez Bryant, who wore No. 88 for Dallas from 2010 to 2017, was in the locker room after the game with his son and was yelling at Lamb, the current No. 88, during Lamb’s interview.
“I just dapped him off right before I walked in here. And he’s screaming at CeeDee, who was getting interviewed. And I was just like, ‘The 88s,’” Prescott said. “Yeah, it’s awesome. I’m blessed. Obviously, as I said in the locker room, I told the guys I wouldn’t be in this position without so many of my teammates. And whether I said it was the guys blocking, the guys on defense getting the ball back, or those kind of individuals right there who are catching it and believe so much in me, but also believe so much in themselves and this team. It just creates for great chemistry.”
“Super thankful for who Dez was or who he is, and the older veteran he was when I came into the locker room. First guy that ever greeted me walking into the locker room. One of the biggest supporters of young guys, gave me so much confidence,” Prescott continued. “And then now to be pouring that into CeeDee, and CeeDee tells me right after the game, run on the field, nobody’s more deserving. I’m just super blessed for having those guys, but it’s not just on the field, it’s off the field and that personal relationship.”
CeeDee Lamb Wants Dallas Cowboys To Play All Four Quarters
The offense cooled between its fast start and fast finish. After Jake Ferguson’s first touchdown made it 17-3, Dallas had two possessions before Jaishawn Barham’s forced fumble: a three-and-out that began with a sack, and a 9-play drive that ended in a field goal.
“We got to find a way to have that energy and that stamina,” Lamb said. “I feel like towards the middle of the second quarter, early third quarter, we kind of tapered off a little bit, and then we find our groove again. The best teams, they play throughout the whole game, and I feel like we got to do that if we consider ourselves the best.”
Sunday was Lamb’s ninth career game with multiple touchdown catches and his 28th with at least 100 receiving yards, and his 153 yards were the fourth-highest total of his career. He now has 23 games of 100 or more receiving yards since 2022, tied with Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson and Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown for the most in the league over that span.
“Nah, I was just ready to go play ball. I’m ready to go play ball. If that means you’re relying on me, you’re safe. If not, I’m going to go do my thing,” Lamb said. “We’re committed. We’re committed. We want to dominate our division. Essentially, you do that, you get rewarded with a spot in the playoffs, and that’s what we’re looking for. So I’m happy for Dak, and I know we can continue this thing going.”
Lamb was running toward the locker room when Jayden Daniels was hurt on the final play of the first half.
“What happened? Because I turned around and I started running to the locker room. Then I hear he’s hurt, and then I see the play, and I saw he hopped and extended his elbow,” Lamb said. “And I don’t really like for people to get hurt for us to win. So, prayers to him and his family, and I hope he has a speedy recovery.”
Lamb and the Cowboys face the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 27 in Rio de Janeiro, with kickoff set for 3:25 p.m. CT on CBS.
