Cowboys Fall Short as CeeDee Lamb Drops Key Chances in Loss to Eagles

Dak Prescott played the part, routinely passing the eye test as the best player on the field Thursday night when national media attention was on the star the Dallas Cowboys had subtracted just one week earlier.

With no Micah Parsons, the Cowboys still had more than a chance.

They moved the ball with ease and never allowed 2,000-yard rusher Saquon Barkley to get loose or bounce inside runs to the edge. A workmanlike rotation of defensive linemen and stellar coverage from high-paid cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and Daron Bland was borderline great for most of the night, save for one long connection from Jalen Hurts to Jahan Dotson and a few back-breaking scrambles by Hurts. Credit former Bears coach Matt Eberflus, because if the plan (likely) was to not let Barkley or A.J. Brown beat them, it worked.

Almost well enough to win.

CeeDee Lamb, who became the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL 13 months ago, had five catches for 100 yards by the third quarter. But it was two critical drops and a near-miraculous fourth-down catch down the sideline that also hit his hands that will be lamented when the Cowboys review what was teed up as a chance for a home-run upset in Week 1.

Prescott appeared locked in from the opening kickoff, used his legs to buy time, and shrugged off more than one sack to keep plays alive. His open-field tackle after a fumble could stand as a motivational statement for the Cowboys’ season.

On the positive side, all is not lost in Dallas. The group appeared cohesive, and Prescott plus Lamb will equal plenty of points in 2025.

Without Parsons, and including a 65-minute lightning delay, there were plenty of excuses readily available for the Cowboys to fold in the fourth quarter. That’s where games are won in the NFL, and when it came time for Dallas’ playmaker to prove it, Lamb dropped the ball.

He called his performance “terrible” in the postgame media session.

“I feel like I can’t point no finger at anybody else,” Lamb said.

“As for me as a player, I’ve prayed for moments like that and for the ball to come my way, and for me not to come up with it, that stings a little bit.”

While the Dallas defense did its part, especially in the second half, and held Barkley to 3.3 yards per carry, the Eagles kept two hands on the wheel and found a way to steer to safety.

“Bringing it back to just finding ways to win, that’s what it comes down to,” Hurts said. “It doesn’t matter how it looks. It doesn’t matter how it goes. It’s just about finding ways to win. In this league it is very challenging, especially in these first games. They tend to come down to the wire, especially when there’s not a lot of ball on tape.”