The Dallas Cowboys' playoff hopes were all but squashed in Week 14, and they lost superstar wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to a concussion in the process. Yet, Ryan Flournoy's breakout saved the night from being a total disaster.
Flournoy set single-game career highs across the board in Dallas' 44-30 Thursday Night Football loss to the Detroit Lions. The second-year wideout stepped up massively despite the result, reeling in nine passes for 115 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets.
Of course, Flournoy and the Cowboys would've preferred his efforts not come at the expense of Lamb and in a loss. Nevertheless, it was an impressive and encouraging performance for a talented young player who continues to make the most of his increased opportunities.
Ryan Flournoy's breakout softens blow over Cowboys' crushing loss to Lions
Most of Flournoy's production notably came after Lamb exited the contest while the Cowboys were trailing and in obvious passing situations. He was also the beneficiary of busted coverage from the Lions' defense on his 42-yard score. However, we also saw him make multiple grabs to help move the chains and keep Dallas within striking distance, picking up six first downs.
It felt like quarterback Dak Prescott looked to Flournoy whenever the Cowboys needed a big play. That was presumably a product of Lamb's injury and the consequent extra attention put on fellow standout wideout George Pickens. Be that as it may, how and when the damage was done outweighs the cause.
Time and again, Flournoy carved up the Lions' secondary. He specifically thrived in the intermediate area and over the middle of the field on in-breaking routes, which the numbers bear out. Here's a look at the following metrics, courtesy of Fantasy Points' data suite ($):
- 13.0-yard average depth of target (aDOT)
- 0.55 targets per route run (TPRR) on horizontally breaking routes
- 4.82 yards per route run (YPRR) on horizontally breaking routes
For context, the latter two stats would rank second and fourth in the NFL, respectively, among players who've run at least 50 routes this season. Only running backs and Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid are better, so if we filter by position, Flournoy's one-game sample size paces receivers.
More specifically, Flournoy feasted on two specific patterns against the Lions. He took a page out of Pickens' book, dominating on slants to the tune of a whopping 7.5 YPRR. His 6.67 YPRR on digs was equally impressive.