Cowboys WRs CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens begin game on bench due to 'coach's decision'
Brian Schottenheimer hasn't won a lot of games during his first season as Dallas Cowboys head coach, but he apparently wanted to send a message to the locker room Monday night.
The Cowboys have two star receivers, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, and both players were on the sideline for Dallas' first series against the Las Vegas Raiders. This move was not announced before the game and wasn't reported anywhere. On the ESPN broadcast, sideline reporter Lisa Salters said a Cowboys public relations representative said the benching was a "coach's decision" and it was not injury related. Salters said when she asked if it was a punishment for violating team rules, that matter would have to be addressed with Schottenheimer after the game.
Lamb and Pickens weren't benched due to lack of production; both are averaging more than 80 yards per game. Lamb was on the field for the first play of the Cowboys' second drive, and Pickens came in for the second play. It appears the benching was for the first series of the game.
Lamb ended up scoring the first touchdown of the game. Early in the second quarter Dak Prescott hit him in the end zone for an 18-yard score. In the first quarter, Pickens had three catches for 46 yards.
Dak finds CeeDee Lamb open in the secondary for six!
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The Cowboys came into Monday night's game with a 3-5-1 record and their playoff hopes dwindling. Any coach wants to set a tone in his first season on the job. It appears that was Schottenheimer's goal with his brief benching of two of Dallas' best players.