CeeDee Lamb, the Dallas Cowboys’ Pro Bowl receiver, didn’t play in Saturday’s preseason. His team’s first opponent, the Los Angeles Rams, beat them handily, 31-21. He quickly became the star of the show as the game unfolded. This was following a rather surprising mid-game incident involving a hit from side judge Anthony Jeffries.
As quarterback Joe Milton III prepared for a deep pass intended for Jonathan Mingo, Lamb began to celebrate, anticipating a successful play. Lamb posed in the restricted area of the sideline designed for the high school officials. He was particularly impressed by Jeffries, who was trailing the play. The hit drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Lamb. This moved the Cowboys back from the Los Angeles 23-yard line to the 38.
Referee Alex Moore discussed the incident, stressing the need to protect the restricted area. “It’s something that everybody is aware of, that white area is our area to work safely,” he stated. He explained that this type of forceful contact is not the norm, providing additional context to the play’s strange circumstances.
Even with the impact, Lamb came out of it unscathed and was able to share a laugh with teammates on the sideline. His unsportsmanlike conduct penalty ended up costing the Cowboys tremendously. That forced them to come away with a field goal rather than finding the end zone. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer commented on the impact of penalties, stating, “You can’t give away penalties in this league.”
The Cowboys were unbelievably undisciplined in this one, racking up a whopping 11 penalties for 83 yards. Though unfortunate, Lamb’s incident underscores the challenges teams face in maintaining their poise amid chaos. That remains the case even in head-to-head preseason matchups.
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