The Dallas Cowboys could flirt with eight or nine wins this season as long as their offense plays up to its potential. That will be easier said than done if CeeDee Lamb isn't in the lineup.
Lamb left Sunday's loss against the Bears with an ankle injury after his foot got caught underneath a Bears defender, who made a dirty hip-drop tackle on the star wide receiver. The injury had Cowboys fans pointing the finger at Brian Schottenheimer, which we'll get to in just a second.
Lamb was adamant postgame that he will be able to play in Week 4. That now feels like a long shot after NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Monday that Lamb suffered a high-ankle sprain, though it's not as bad as it originally looked.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb reportedly suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 3 loss
"My understanding is the Cowboys believe this is a high-ankle sprain," Rapoport said. "Gonna have some tests today (Monday), an MRI just to determine the severity. Generally, high-ankle sprains are 4-6 weeks, but owner Jerry Jones believes this is not as serious as it could've been."
A large contingent of Cowboys fans is furious with Dallas' head coach for how Lamb got injured. Schottenheimer dialed up a run play for Lamb, and he got injured on a tackle from behind. The play call happened while Javonte Williams was running through the Bears at will. "Why not just keep feeding Williams?" has been the consensus opinion from fans on social media.
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The logic is sound, but are we really going to get on Schotteneheimer for getting the ball into the hands of his best player? Cowboys fans would be furious if Schottenheimer wasn't going out of his way to get Lamb touches, and rightfully so. Now, it's a problem because of a freak injury? Let's not have revisionist history.
Lamb received a handful of carries in the first two games before Sunday, and there wasn't a peep about risking his health. Schottenheimer didn't know he'd get hip drop tackled, and that could've happened anywhere on the field, not just in the backfield.
Injuries are going to happen in a contact sport. Unfortunately, Lamb was on the receiving end in this case, but handing the ball off to No. 88 has worked in the past.
It's easy to understand why fans want to blame Schottenheimer, but let's not be critical just to be critical. He got the ball into the hands of his best player. The result was brutal, but it was a case of bad luck, not poor coaching or carelessness.