Troy Aikman Calls Out Cowboys For Not Getting CeeDee Lamb Involved

CeeDee Lamb was notably absent from the Cowboys' passing game in the 23-17 loss to the 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Sunday.

Quarterback Dak Prescott threw 43 times, but Dallas' leading receiver hauled in just one reception on five targets for 21 yards. His lack of involvement left Troy Aikman, former Dallas great and current FOX Sports color commentator, puzzled by the offense's game plan.

"I hate going back to (when I was playing) because nobody cares, but what I see around the league -- it's not just Dallas, I've seen it with a lot of teams -- a lot of these offenses want to scheme things," Aikman said Wednesday, via 96.7 The Ticket. "The coordinators, it's all about scheme, rather than, 'This corner is playing soft. He's scared to death.' Just run the route tree. Run a comeback. Run a dig route. Run a curl. Run anything.

"You're going to complete the pass whenever you want. (Michael Irvin) would've had 10 catches at halftime if they played us the way they played CeeDee Lamb in that game. ... The game is not that difficult. If I've got a great player at wide receiver and a corner is playing him in single coverage, throw him the ball. He's going to win most of the time."

The total exclusion of Lamb is a trend that came to a head Sunday. Lamb, despite his 1,102 receiving yards this season, hasn't gone over 100 yards in a single game since Week 8 against the Vikings.

In the final four games, including the playoffs, Lamb had just 10 catches for 183 yards and zero touchdowns. With the loss, Dallas extended its streak to 11 straight playoff appearances without reaching a conference championship game.


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Nick Geddes is a 2021 graduate of the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. A life-long sports enthusiast, Nick shares a passion for sports writing and is proud to represent OutKick.