CeeDee Lamb’s shot at a milestone night vanished fast in Week 5, and so did his availability.
Lamb entered the Dallas Cowboys’ matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the doorstep of history after piling up 189 yards and a touchdown on 17 catches against the Houston Texans. He was close to becoming only the third player in team history to reach 500 yards and five touchdowns through the first five games of a season. Instead, the evening turned rough in a hurry.
Against the Buccaneers, Lamb managed just two receptions for nine yards before leaving with a quad injury. When Dallas got the ball down 24-10, Lamb was not on the field, and he was reported as questionable to return.
The Cowboys did move the ball 99 yards on that possession, capped by George Pickens’ 17-yard touchdown that cut the deficit to 24-16. Dallas then went for two and failed, a sequence that fit the way the night had gone.
The injury list kept growing around Lamb. Before the game even started, Dallas lost cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who had been acquired in a trade last week, because of an illness.
During the game, safety Alijah Clark went down with a hamstring injury and was listed as questionable. Pickens also had to head to the sideline after getting his shoulder checked on the 99-yard drive.
The trouble didn’t stop there. Rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham was banged up on the next defensive series and went to the sideline for evaluation. Tyler Guyton, the starting left tackle, was also out with a back injury, and Broderick Jones stepped in for him.
There was at least one positive for Dallas before kickoff. Tyler Smith returned after missing the first four games following thumb surgery before Week 1.
The All-Pro left guard was back in the starting lineup and made an immediate impact on the opening drive, helping clear lanes for Javonte Williams. After that, though, the Cowboys were pushed into a more pass-heavy approach as Tampa Bay tightened things up against the run.
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The off-field chaos was never far away, either, including a 1996 incident involving police and illegal substances that became part of his legend as much as his highlights did. Even so, Irvin still finished as a five-time Pro Bowler, retired in 1999 and reached the Hall of Fame in 2007, which is why stories like Kings still land with so much force when people talk about what made those Cowboys teams different. [Read more 🡒]