Sports

Cowboys Executive V.P. Stephen Jones says wide receiver George Pickens' benching on Monday in Las Vegas was for a separate issue than the team rule violation that got fellow starting wide receiver CeeDee Lamb benched.

Jones said on 105.3 The Fan that head coach Brian Schottenheimer kept Pickens on the sideline for the opening drive against the Raiders because Pickens had missed a team bus. Lamb said his own benching was for missing curfew, and it was assumed that Pickens' benching was for the same reason. But Jones said Schottenheimer benched Pickens for missing the bus.

"He's not going to play favorites with anybody," Jones said. "He felt very strongly that that was part of it. I think a lot of people thought they had to be together because they are great friends, but believe it or not, one was the night before leading into the morning, and the other one was missing the buses. Hats off to Schotty for being consistent, being authentic, being genuine and doing the right thing by the team. And they did what you would expect them to do, both of them, they went out and played a hell of a game."

Lamb and Pickens both had big games in the Cowboys' win over the Raiders, combining for 14 catches for 210 yards and two touchdowns.

Panthers running back Rico Dowdle is slated to become a free agent in March, and he thinks every week about what kind of message his play is sending to any team that will want to sign a running back next year.

"Every week is an audition for me, being on a one-year contract," Dowdle told reporters in the Panthers' locker room. "All 31 teams are always watching. So I wouldn't say just this week in particular but I definitely know I've got to go out there and do my best."

Dowdle entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie with the Cowboys in 2020, played on minimum-salary contracts throughout his time in Dallas, and then signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Panthers this season.

After starting this season as a backup to Chuba Hubbard, Dowdle made a big impact when Hubbard got hurt and has 168 carries for 833 yards in 11 games this season. Dowdle has played well enough that he's likely to get the biggest contract of his career in four months, and he knows every week is an opportunity to earn more money in 2026.

During training camp, the NFL sent a memo to teams prohibiting them from providing smelling salts to players, citing a player-safety issue. The league, though, couldn’t ban ammonia packets without approval from the NFLPA.

Thus, players, including 49ers tight end George Kittle, are still allowed to use smelling salts as long as they provide their own supply.

Kittle, who jokingly said he "considered retirement" after hearing of the ban, uses smelling salts before every offensive possession. He told the San Francisco Chronicle that at least half of his teammates "use them most of the time."

Kittle supplied his teammates with the inhalants during the preseason but kept running out of them. So, he vowed to empty an "old-school" bucket of cheese balls and fill it with smelling salts for the regular season.

“During the preseason games, I was the only one who was taking initiative, and the D-line completely wiped me out in back-to-back games,” Kittle told Eric Branch of the Chronicle.

49ers guard Nick Zakelj has used ammonia packets since high school.

“It’s a meathead thing: Like, let me get juiced up before I go out there,” Zakelj told the newspaper.

The NFL's policy came after an FDA warning about the safety or efficacy of ammonia inhalants. According to the Chronicle's reporting, the NFL Head, Neck, and Spine Committee's recommendation followed Bills quarterback Josh Allen receiving an ammonia packet from a team employee as he emerged from the sideline medical tent after being cleared of a concussion against the Texans last season.

The ban, though, has not deterred players from using inhalants.

“I don’t overthink it too much, but I’m also not too worried about them not providing it either,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “I feel like George will find a way.”

He has, and he will.