CeeDee Lamb didn’t just turn in a monster performance Sunday. He also took time after the Cowboys’ 34-30 win over the Houston Texans to stand firmly behind Brian Schottenheimer.
Lamb’s day was the kind of outing that sticks: a career-high 17 catches for 189 yards and a touchdown, capped by the game-winner with 40 seconds left to put Dallas in front for the first time all afternoon. It was one of the best individual games a Cowboys wide receiver has ever put together.
But the postgame message wasn’t about the numbers. Lamb wanted to make it clear where he stands with his head coach, who had been under plenty of scrutiny after the Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
"I want Schotty to know that I got his back. I'm with him," Lamb said of Schottenheimer, per Nick Harris of the Fort Worth-Star Telegram.
"I'm one of his strongest soldiers. It's just going to battle with each other.
Once you have that confidence and know who you're going to battle with, just shoot your gun. And I feel like we shot it today.
No pun intended."
That kind of public backing carries weight, especially coming from Lamb, who has been around Schottenheimer since 2023. Schottenheimer was promoted to offensive coordinator that year after spending the previous season in Dallas as a coaching analyst.
Lamb also happens to be leading the NFL in receiving yards with 498 as Week 4 wraps up on Monday Night Football. If he keeps producing like this, it should mean more wins for Dallas and a lot less noise around Schottenheimer.
The Cowboys needed this one badly. They arrived in Brazil at 1-1, already carrying the weight of a Week 1 loss to the New York Giants. Then came the Ravens game, where Dallas looked ready to escape with a win after reaching the Baltimore two-yard line with a chance to seal it.
Instead, the Cowboys came away with a 34-31 loss after a chaotic finish that left Schottenheimer facing heat on multiple fronts. The offense couldn’t finish the job, including a coaching decision Schottenheimer said was predetermined, one that had Dak Prescott throwing the ball away even though George Pickens was wide open at the front pylon.
The criticism didn’t stop there. Schottenheimer and the staff also took fire for how they handled the ensuing kickoff and the final offensive play, which helped Baltimore get into position for the game-winning field goal with only seven seconds left.
That loss put Schottenheimer in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, but Sunday’s comeback win over Houston gave Dallas a chance to reset.
Now the Cowboys turn quickly to a short week and a Thursday Night Football meeting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Schottenheimer, Lamb and the rest of the team trying to build on the momentum from this one.
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