What Do the Numbers Say About What CeeDee Said to Dak?

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb again directed frustration toward quarterback Dak Prescott, this time on Sunday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers. And while the speculation around what Lamb said may not reveal a conclusive answer to the exact words chosen, the numbers through five weeks of the NFL season might make Cowboys fans question why the drama is escalating to this level.

“Hard to explain,” Cris Collinsworth said on the broadcast. “Just throwing into coverage, and something’s wrong.”

Dak Prescott’s ugly red zone interception in the third quarter of the Dallas Cowboys Sunday Night Football victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers isn’t necessarily the only difficult thing to explain.

CeeDee Lamb set the internet into a frenzy as cameras picked up what seemed like criticism of his quarterback, Dak Prescott. It’s difficult to read Lamb’s lips in this clip, but it’s clear he is unhappy.

This wasn’t the only time this season Lamb openly expressed his disproval, as he was caught on camera venting at Prescott, All-Pro guard Zack Martin and receivers coach Robert Prince during the Cowboys’ Week 3 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens. The flare-up came less than a month after Lamb was given a four-year, $136 million contract extension – the second largest ever for a receiver.

As moments like this one continue to fuel claims that Lamb is selfish or another “diva wide receiver,” it raises the question of whether he has legitimate reasons to be upset. Has something changed in the Cowboys’ offense or with Lamb’s role compared to past seasons to bring forth the frustration?

Lamb’s basic offensive numbers this season fall very much in line with his stats through five games in each season of his career. His 41 targets and 378 receiving yards are both his second highest totals of his five NFL seasons. And his role in the offense hasn’t decreased compared to past seasons. Lamb is seeing targets on 23.2% of his routes through five games, which is in line with his career averages, while his 177 routes run are the highest of his career at this point in the season and tied for seventh most in the NFL.

It’s also possible that some of Lamb’s anger could be a reflection of his own performance, as he hasn’t produced the numbers in some categories he has shown he is capable of. His 21 burns, plays where he wins his matchup and is targeted, are tied for the lowest in his career through five games. Lamb’s 0.833 catch rating, a metric ranging from 0-1 to indicate how well receivers catch throws that are considered catchable, is the lowest of his career and is below the league average among receivers to have run at least 50 routes this season. 

While Prescott has had some bad moments as all quarterbacks do, like his intercepted pass into double coverage Sunday night, and the Dallas offense has been a below-average unit so far this season when it comes to efficiency vs. expected, has it struggled as drastically as Lamb’s outbursts would suggest?

Prescott’s 1,424 passing yards and 191 passing attempts, numbers star wide receivers dream of their quarterback tallying, are his highest through five games since Lamb’s rookie season. The Cowboys average of 271.6 passing yards per game is second in the NFL.

These numbers support frustrations that coaches and fans feel with Lamb’s words and actions off the gridiron. There have been no statistical declines in his usage or in the team’s offensive output through the air this season, making his anger seem at times baseless and at best unprofessional.

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