There are weeks when a star wideout looks locked in, and then there are weeks when the energy around him shifts the entire building. This is the latter. The Dallas Cowboys head into Thanksgiving to play against the Kansas City Chiefs, expecting their offense to clean up the sloppiness that’s haunted them lately. And the conversation in the locker room makes one thing obvious. They’re putting the ball in the hands of their most dangerous playmaker until someone stops it.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer didn’t hide a thing when asked about star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb’s mindset this week. He said Lamb “has that look in his eye” and that he “means business,” a tone that sounded less like coach-speak and more like a warning shot to the Panthers’ secondary. According to Schottenheimer, Dallas is dialed in on feeding No. 88, promising “plenty of balls” his way on Thursday afternoon.
Lamb’s production after coming back from injury this season backs why the Cowboys are all-in on him. Through the 2025 campaign so far, he has had 44 receptions for 632 yards and 2 touchdowns. He averaged about 14.4 yards per catch, which remains among the best at his position and is a reminder that when Dallas leans on him early, their entire offense looks sharper and harder to diagnose.
But after dropping a pass, Dak Prescott sent a strong message to Lamb after the game. “He’s a guy that expects to make a lot of plays,” Prescott said, via Cowboys reporter Nicole Hutchison. “For me, [to him] it was ‘don’t press. Let it go, you’re a hell of a player and you know it. When you press, you’re not going to get the best version of yourself.’ He did a hell of a job responding.” After dropping the catch, Lamb faced loads of backlash.
But Dallas isn’t disguising anything. After a shaky offensive stretch, they’re restarting the engine by force-feeding the player who tilts the field most. Schottenheimer’s comments make it obvious: the Cowboys want Lamb to set the tone, and they’re willing to build Thursday’s script around him. If Lamb responds with the fire his coach claims he’s showing in practice, this could be the kind of bounce-back moment the Cowboys badly need.