The game giveth, and the game taketh away. CeeDee Lamb was on the other end of both transactions in the Cowboys' wild win in Indianapolis.
The five-time Pro Bowler reeled in 10 catches on Sunday, posting 195 yards (his second-best day as a pro) and a touchdown in the 27-23 victory. With the Week 9 Monday night game still to play, Lamb leads the league in targets, is ranked third in receptions, second in yards, and is tied for second in touchdowns.
Still, he wasn't happy with what he said was his "most complicated" game as a pro, calling it an "up and down" performance.
There was the would-be touchdown catch in the third quarter where Lamb was unable to get his second foot down in the end zone before going out of bounds.
There were two rare offensive
pass interference calls against him.
And, of course, there was the play everyone was talking about afterward, the 23-yard grab where Lamb dove to make the catch then realized he hadn't been touched. He got up and raced another 25 yards- seemingly on his way to the end zone- before being tripped up. He tried to brace himself as he fell, and he lost control of the football. The play initially ended as a 48-yard pickup, but after review, went in the books as a Lamb fumble recovered by the Colts.
A WILD play in Indianapolis!
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 8, 2026
An untouched Lamb gets extra yards then fumbles in the red zone
📺: FOX/FOX One pic.twitter.com/rddAvGre0M
"Before the review, I obviously thought I was down, because I felt- I don't know who it was; I think it was a linebacker- hit me in my back as I was trying to make a move, and I went down, right?" Lamb explained to reporters after the game. "But I used my arm, with the ball, which, obviously, I feel like I shouldn't have. But when you're in a moment of moving around, I guess, you're not really thinking. Obviously I know not to use the ball to keep my balance, but I also thought I was down by contact."
Replays clearly showed that it was the back of Lamb's wrist that touched the ground, leading to some confusion over whether that counts as part of the forearm, which would have ruled Lamb down at that spot.
"Great job finding the ball. Great job recognizing he wasn't down," Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said in his postgame press conference. "But the rule is the rule. Anything wrist and above: if it's on the ground, it's not a fumble. It's got to be your forearm. We were pretty clear that is was going to be a turnover."
Clear or not, Lamb was visibly upset over the gaffe, both on the sideline in the moments after the fumble and even in the tunnel leading to the locker room after the team had secured the win.
"That's who CeeDee is as a competitor," Schottenheimer told the media. "He said, 'Hey, I owe you one.'"
But Lamb had other moments to be mad about, too. Like those two pass interference calls. He's only ever been flagged for that particular infraction four times previously in his entire career: exactly once per season from 2021 to 2024.
On Sunday, he got hit for it twice by Clay Martin's crew.
"Clearly, the refs had it out for me this week, Lamb said.
"I don't think they were messing with me today, to be honest. Because there's been plenty of instances where I let the DB touch me first and then I create separation. So I'm just kind of confused: if I don't create separation [and] I just let him hold me, are they going to call a hold? I'm not even going to live in that realm of letting them hold me, because you can't, physically. You can't hold me."
Lamb started to expound on the subject further before realizing that he was treading into dangerous waters, possibly risking a heavy fine from the league (or giving away too much of his own technique) with what he was about to say next.
"I'm going to just make him-- No, I'm not going to give them that clip. Never mind. Never mind."
Between the failed toe-drag, the fumble, and the two OPIs, Lamb arguably left up to an additional three receptions, 51 extra yards, and two more touchdowns on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium.
It was already a monster day for the 27-year-old. It was almost the kind of game that is talked about for ages.
“Obviously, the numbers look crazy,” Lamb acknowledged after the win. “But it could’ve been more. I’m always thinking about what could have been.”
That's becoming a theme for the Cowboys' entire 2026 season.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Lamb claims ‘Refs had it out for me’ in Week 9 Cowboys win
