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DETROIT, MICHIGAN – DECEMBER 04: CeeDee Lamb #88 of the Dallas Cowboys warms up before the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on December 04, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
There were a number of reasons that the Cowboys saw their three-game wining streak end on Thursday night in Detroit, with a 44-30 drubbing at the hands of the Lions. Obviously, giving up a season high–for a defense that had been vastly improved in recent weeks–was a major cause. But there were also some offensive malfunctions that chipped in, most notably the injury coming in to Tyler Guyton at left tackle, and the injury suffered during teh game by star receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Lamb had gone for a season-high 121 yards receiving in just a little more than a half of action on Thursday, before he knocked his head hard against the Ford Field turf and was immediately taken off the field with concussion symptoms.
The Cowboys have four games remaining and still an outside crack at a playoff spot. Getting Lamb back would be a very big boost, but with a concussion, rehab and recovery time can be slowed. His potential return in Week 15, then, remains uncertain.
Cowboys’ Schottenheimer Says CeeDee Lamb ‘Progressing’
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer did offer some update on Monday about whether Lamb will be ready to go, though it was hardly conclusive. “He’s doing good, talked to him over the weekend, he is progressing nicely,” Schottenheimer said. “Hopefully it will all work out like we expect it.”
After the game, on Thursday night, Lamb himself had issued a message on Instagram, writing, “Blessed is an understatement. Love ya’ll.”
CeeDee Lamb Has Had 3 Concussions
There is some concern, too, that this is Lamb’s third concussion, though they have been spread out over the past six years. Often, when a player suffers a concussion, he is more susceptible to them in the future.
While in college at Oklahoma, Lamb did miss a game against Baylor with “concussion symptoms” in early November of 2019, and also missed time in the NFL back in November 2021 after suffering a concussion. In both cases, he only missed one week.
Cowboys ‘Proud’ of Ryan Flournoy Development
Schottenheimer did have high praise for the guy who benefited from Lamb’s absence in the second half against the Lions–second-year Cowboys receiver Ryan Flournoy, who finished with nine catches on 13 targets and 115 yards. He caught a 42-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott in the fourth quarter that kept Dallas within a field goal at the time.
Schottenheimer was asked about what impressed him with Flournoy this season.
“Probably the route-running,” he said. “Here’s a guy who has always had the size and the speed but he has worked really, really hard on the fundamentals of top-of-the-route transition, he has always been very strong at the catch point. But also learning the system.
“The biggest thing for me is he is a young player just if you watch in pre-practice, post-practice, working on how to create separation a the top of the route, speed turns, tight turns, burst and turns—all those different things. That is where you are seeing him create more and more separation. It’s through hard work, it really is. He is professional, he is very mature for his age, a young player. Really proud of him.”
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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