3 important (and encouraging) Cowboys trends entering Week 3 of NFL season
By Reid Hanson
3. CeeDee Lamb's scorching start to the season
Lamb has been on an absolute tear this season. Despite the Cowboys low pass rate, Lamb is in the top-10 in both receptions and receiving yards. Averaging 110 yards per game, he’s on pace for a top-5 all-time finish.
His target share on Cowboys is likely to be unsustainable but so are Dallas’ paltry passing numbers. The Cowboys’ early down pass rate is at the bottom of the league. Playing with such big leads has made the offense considerably more conservative than they’d normally be.
CeeDee Lamb is operating at a record breaking pace for the Cowboys. His 55.3% receiving share is the highest since 1945. His 1870 yard pace would be all-time top-5 & his 88.2% catch rate is almost unfathomable given the difficulty of some of his catches pic.twitter.com/BNrL9SnrZQ
— Reid D Hanson (@ReidDHanson) September 19, 2023
Games won’t all be blowouts like the first two weeks so more early down passes are expected in coming matchups. That's were Lamb should really see opportunities open up downfield.
Expected and actual pass rates
— Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) September 19, 2023
The Chiefs are still the Chiefs and the Falcons are still the Falcons.
The Bears are **way** more pass-heavy this year. Interesting. pic.twitter.com/jDF3oAGc7J
Lamb has almost single handedly kept the passing game afloat. No other player on the Cowboys has even hit 50 yards receiving this season. Gallup has been held to 13 yards and Cooks held to just 22 yards. This passing offense has flowed through Lamb and Lamb has thrived.
The Cowboys offense is multidimensional and can win a number of different ways. If the defense packs the box to stop the run the Cowboys can pass downfield. If they pack the secondary Dallas can run it. The deep roster allows them to adjust to what the defense gives them.
But Lamb is a player who can produce even when the defense is focused on him. He’s the closest thing to unstoppable the Cowboys have on offense and that’s often what separates the winners from the losers in the postseason.
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