Cowboys' Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb shake off rust ahead of crucial Week 3 game against desperate Ravens

FRISCO, Texas — How crucial was it for Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones, have a sense of urgency and get 2023 first-team wide receiver CeeDee Lamb four-year extension worth $136 million Was it done before training camp instead of late August?

Well, the Cowboys are taking notice, as 2023 Second-Team All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott and Lamb’s 2024 passing offensive connection are paying the price. Dallas was down 14-3 in the second quarter (14:29 left before halftime) of its Week 2 home opener against the New Orleans Saints when Prescott uncorked a pass to Lamb in the end zone on a slot fade route along the numbers in the middle of the field. Lamb outran Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo and outran him on his deep route toward the middle of the end zone. The problem is, Prescott thought Lamb was running his route toward the back corner of the end zone, and Lamb stayed in. Pass incomplete.

Dallas ended up settling for a 38-yard field goal from the All-Pro. Kicker Brandon Aubreyand New Orleans' lead remained at 14-6, in a game they won 44-19.

Lamb admitted the mistake was his and was a consequence of the time lost between him and Prescott in training camp, something that could have been avoided if Jones had acted sooner.

“Yeah, absolutely. I’m just going over training camp stuff, training camp moves. Things that we put in place a long time ago, but obviously having those conversations are always great conversations. That’s going to be the first one I’ll go to as soon as we get to the sideline, pass completion or not,” Lamb said Thursday. “What were you thinking? What were you feeling? What do you think I was doing? It’s about being on the same page as your quarterback being a receiver. So for me, it’s just about making sure I’m available for him and whatever I need to do to get open, I’ll do it. Whatever I need to do to get the catch, to get us on the board, I’ll do it.”

The Cowboys have successfully completed just nine of Lamb’s 17 targets for 151 yards and a touchdown. That rate will likely need to be closer to 70% than 50% for the Cowboys to turn things around given the state of their underperforming ground game. Their rushing attack is averaging 85 yards per game (25th in the league). National Football League (NFL)) and 3.7 yards per game (26th in the NFL) while featuring a committee consisting of undrafted veteran Rico Dowdle, a late-career Ezekiel Elliott and 2023 sixth-round pick Deuce Vaughn. That’s why Prescott and Lamb are in constant contact when they’re at the practice facility. They’re looking to rekindle the connection that led to Lamb leading the NFL in receptions (135) and Prescott leading the league in passing touchdowns (36) in 2023. Everything their offense accomplishes is a product of the threat posed by Dallas’ dynamic duo, so their reconnection is crucial.

“We just keep communicating every day that we're here, whether it's on film or in practice,” Prescott said of rebuilding chemistry with Lamb. “Certain routes to make sure some of those mistakes don't happen again and everyone points out the mistake in the red zone. That's a simple mistake that, if we're on the same page and understand what needs to be accomplished, it's an easy touchdown.”

That's why Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy took the time to go over the nitty-gritty details of his offense's routes with his players on Wednesday.

“Trends,” McCarthy said Wednesday when asked what he talked about in terms of running routes. “Just highlighting the details. I think our guys have done a really good job, especially out here in the offseason, over the summer spending that time together, whether it's at Celina High School or some of the places where they train. You just have to build on that and make sure you reinforce it.”

Prescott threw the ball deep down the sideline to Lamb — one of the most efficient routes in the NFL last season — but he didn’t complete any of his three vertical route attempts to Lamb last week. He also threw an interception to Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu — a far cry from Prescott and Lamb’s 2023 production in this particular area. They combined to complete 26 passes and 628 receiving yards on vertical routes last season, according to NFL Pro Insights, which ranked as the second-most among all QB-WR duos in the NFL.

However, Prescott feels it won't be long before the two are back on the same page in 2024 given their constant contact once Lamb re-signed with the Cowboys on Aug. 26.

“Yeah, it's close. We're looking to take that next step,” Prescott said Thursday. “There were some plays that were left hanging again. But at the end of the day, yeah, I see it well. Guys are doing what they're supposed to do. We can be a little bit better on the depth (of routes). I can be a little bit more accurate on some throws. We can hold some windows longer. I can anticipate a little bit better. I think once you get that going a little bit more, I think that's where the red zone is going to take off. We were able to move the ball last week. Touchdowns were the problem. (Dallas didn't score a touchdown in its three trips to the red zone in Week 2.) Not getting the touchdowns was the problem and settling for field goals. I think especially in that red zone, being able to hold those windows, being able to anticipate, then the touchdowns come. So, we're going to be fine.”

One indicator that Prescott knows what he's talking about is his touchdown pass to Lamb in double coverage on Sunday, in which Lamb outran the Saints' defensive backs for the ball, crouched low and sped down the sideline for a 65-yard score. The 25-year-old saw the fruits of his labor in terms of all the summer workouts he did on his own, ignoring defenders to score the touchdown. Lamb added 10 to 15 pounds of muscle in the offseason.

“Absolutely,” Lamb said. “This is just the beginning. Everything I've been training for during the offseason is going to come to fruition. I have no doubt about that.”

How will Lamb and Prescott get back into rhythm? By exchanging ideas and performing on Sundays.

“It all starts in practice, getting to know each other's ideas,” Lamb said. “Asking questions and coming to a mutual understanding and agreement based on how they're marking me or what he sees. There's a lot that goes into it and it's not going to happen overnight. But if we have the same trust and do this together for so long, we can do it well.”

They'll face the Baltimore Ravens (0-2) on Sunday in a potentially decisive game. McCarthy doesn't look at early-season stats until at least four games are played, but it's worth noting that the Ravens are allowing the most passing yards per game (257.0) in the NFL entering Week 3.

The Ravens are especially vulnerable in the slot, an area that has been Lamb’s bread and butter over the years — he led the NFL in receiving yards in the slot in both 2022 (867) and 2023 (907). That made him the first player since the NFL’s Next Gen Stats began tracking yards from the slot in 2016 to lead the league in that category in back-to-back seasons. In 2023, he averaged 2.7 yards per route run from the slot, the most by any wide receiver who ran at least 150 such routes, according to NFL Pro Insights. This year, his 1.2 yards per route is a long way off, but Baltimore’s defense is allowing a 68.4% success rate on opponent targets in the slot, the second-highest in the league so far. There couldn’t be a better time for Prescott and Lamb to get back on track than at home in Week 3 against the Ravens.

“Last year is the last year, for sure, but I can say that throughout the year we have a tendency to improve,” Lamb said. “We set the standard, obviously to see how we compete against others. And then we make adjustments. We can definitely expect to make more adjustments this year.”