Just like everyone expected, the Dallas Cowboys had the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on the ropes in the first game of the season.
The Cowboys entered Week 1 as one of the biggest underdogs in the league, and that was mostly due to the fact that the team made the shocking decision to trade pass rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. But what everyone seems to have forgotten over the course of the offseason is just how good Dak Prescott is.
Prescott reminded everybody just how good he is, even in defeat, and it was the most unlikely player who ended up spoiling what could have been a signature road divisional win. That player is none other than superstar wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
CeeDee Lamb spoils Dak Prescott's return for Cowboys in 2025
The box score looks like just another day at the office for Lamb, who caught seven passes for 110 yards at 15.7 yards per catch. Unfortunately, those parts of the box score don't tell the whole story.
It was Lamb who dropped three crucial passes in this game for the Cowboys on absolutely perfect throws from Dak Prescott. The degree of difficulty was different for each, but Lamb has the third-highest salary per year of any receiver in the league and the third-most guaranteed money for any receiver in league history. Even though nobody can be expected to be perfect, there were plays to be made and Lamb literally dropped the ball on three separate occasions.
Those are plays Lamb is going to want to have back, especially when you consider the outcome of the game. The Cowboys had a chance to go down the field and take the lead late in the 4th quarter, but that fourth down throw from Prescott to Lamb hit the ground.
It's only the first game of the season, so there's still plenty of time to turn things around. And frankly, nobody really expected the Cowboys to be as competitive as they were, even with the caveat that Jalen Carter got kicked out of the game for spitting on Prescott.
But this was a chance, in Prescott's return from injury last year, to really make a statement. The Cowboys have one of the best quarterbacks in the game, and Lamb is one of the best receivers in the game. Those two guys are capable of carrying this team when it's needed, so it hurts even more when Lamb doesn't come through against a team like the Eagles.
This was a chance for the storyline after Week 1 to be all about Prescott returning to form and making the Cowboys forget about Micah Parsons quickly. Unfortunately, Lamb let his quarterback down and is going to have to find a way to make up for it in Week 2.
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