ARLINGTON, Texas – There was plenty to go around Dallas Cowboys (5-7) are grateful for winning their first home game of the season on Thanksgiving Day in a 27:20 win over the New York Giants (2:10). Thursday night also marked the eighth straight victory over the Giants and 15th in their last 16 games.
However, Dallas also received some bad news: 2023 All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb injured his shoulder again. Lamb's sixth and final target on a night in which he caught just two passes for 39 yards came with 2:23 left in the first half. About eight minutes before the end of the third quarter, Lamb aggravated the AC joint sprain in his right shoulder. He tried to play through the injury but left the game after a few games.
“CeeDee had a shoulder injury, so he didn't come back in,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said Thursday after the game.
Lamb fell on his shoulder three times in Week 9 Atlanta Falconsand he overcame the injury and stayed in the game that day. When he discussed his health Tuesday before the win over the Giants, he made it clear that neither his shoulder nor another nagging injury would keep him off the field this season.
“I’m exhausted, I’m not even going to lie to you,” Lamb said Tuesday. “It is what it is, brother. It's that time of year in season. I won’t be able to do that.” [into] any details, but we're just getting there. For me the pride is incredible. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get out there and make my presence felt. … Being out there, I feel like the guys are more comfortable and can play as confidently and as fast as they want, knowing they're going to get the looks they want. I'm all for the team winning, if you don't know by now. … This is definitely one of the toughest years for me, physically speaking, but that doesn't stop anything. That’s for sure.”
Despite the Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott With him out all year with a hamstring injury and Dallas playing with rookies at left tackle and center most of the year, Lamb has maintained his play at an All-Pro level this season. He runs it with 79 receptions while ranking third with 880 yards. The good news for Lamb and any other Cowboys dealing with cuts and bruises is that they're essentially prepared for an unofficial bye week. Dallas' week 14 home game against the Cincinnati Bengals doesn't take place until “Monday Night Football” on December 9th, 11 days after Thanksgiving.
“The rest is perhaps the most important part of the schedule. If you just look at what we're dealing with, rest and recovery will really help us,” McCarthy said. “The schedule stipulates that our players have a rest week. You have some responsibility on Monday, we start later on Wednesday. I want them to get away, recharge their batteries and be ready to go. “We have to play our best football in front of us.”
If McCarthy allows his players to treat the next few days as a release week, Lamb, who prides himself on being something of an Iron Man, will have the best possible chance of returning to AT&T Stadium on December 9th fully equipped and ready to roll the dice in Week 14 against the Bengals.
“I feel like it's an underrated trait that I have,” Lamb said when discussing his endurance ahead of Week 10 against the USA eagle. “There are a lot of hits that I had to take. There are a lot of things I had to put up with that I think many others would have failed. So I take it with caution and keep it moving.” Everyone is different. A lot of hits would have knocked out a lot of people People I care about a lot of people I want to inspire. So I know someone out there paid their last dollar to watch me play out there for them.
