Brian Schottenheimer hasn’t won a lot of games during his first season as Dallas Cowboys head coach, but he apparently wanted to send a message to the locker room Monday night.
Apparently, he lit a fire under CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens in the process.
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The Cowboys’ two star receivers were on the sideline for Dallas’ first series against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“Made a coach’s decision. There were some things that were missed,” Schottenheimer told reporters after the Cowboys rolled to a 33-16 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders. He didn’t elaborate. And neither did Lamb postgame.
This move was not announced before the game and wasn’t reported anywhere. On the ESPN broadcast, sideline reporter Lisa Salters said a Cowboys public relations representative said the benching was a “coach’s decision” and it was not injury related. Salters said when she asked if it was a punishment for violating team rules, that matter would have to be addressed with Schottenheimer after the game.
Lamb and Pickens weren’t benched due to lack of production; both are averaging more than 80 yards per game. Lamb was on the field for the first play of the Cowboys’ second drive, and Pickens came in for the second play. It appears the benching was for the first series of the game.
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Both players ended up playing well and scoring touchdowns in the Cowboys’ 33-16 win. Lamb scored the team’s first TD of the game on an 18-yard grab in the second quarter while finishing with five catches for 66 yards.
Pickens got in the end zone later in the first half. He took a short pass from Prescott and weaved through the Raiders defense for a 37-yard touchdown. He led the team with nine catches and 144 yards on the night.
The win puts the Cowboys at 4-5-1 with slim playoff hopes. Any coach wants to set a tone in his first season on the job. It appears that was Schottenheimer’s goal with his brief benching of two of Dallas’ best players. And Lamb and Pickens both made up for their lost time.