The Dallas Cowboys knew the Houston Texans
' defense would put up a fight, which they did for the first half. Demeco Ryans' troops had quarterback Dak Prescott flustered in the early going, but he got himself untracked in the second half. That success came from repeatedly spamming the option to throw to receiver CeeDee Lamb, who took over the contest with 17 receptions for 189 yards and a touchdown.Whenever Dallas needed a big play, Lamb stepped up against one of the NFL's tougher cornerback tandems. It's easy to see why he is the Cowboys' Player of the Game. As Schottenheimer put it, Lamb "put on a show."
“I knew this one was a big one for
him. I know how much Houston means to him and his family means to him. And he put on a show.”
Lamb, who grew up near Houston, had extra motivation with his grandmother in attendance. She rarely gets the chance to watch him play in person, making the performance even more meaningful.
“My grandma came out here, which was really good to see. She doesn't really come to many of my games and do all the hoorah and screaming. It was good to see my family here. It's just been a long road to end up in this situation and I'm grateful for it.”
That motivation helped fuel a record-setting performance as Lamb posted career highs in receptions while recording the second-most catches in a single game in Cowboys history.
Schottenheimer wasn't the only coach in awe of Lamb's performance. NFL analyst and former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin also tipped his cap while wondering why the tough Texans' defense refused to adjust their in-game rules.
“I'm in awe of what happened with CeeDee Lamb today, but also you got to ask yourself, at what point were (the Texans) going to have a meeting on the sideline about slowing this guy down?”
Lamb carved up the Houston defense, and Prescott looked his way to move the chains and keep drives alive throughout the game. He consistently came through in key situations and put his body on the line, including taking a big hit from cornerback Kamari Lassiter on the sideline with 54 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Moments later, Lamb capped the drive with a 12-yard game-winning touchdown with 40 seconds left.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Tomlin 'In awe' of Texans' refusal to adjust to Cowboys spamming Lamb
