Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb earns NFC offensive player of week honors

Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb dubbed himself the best in the NFL after Sunday’s win over the Giants. And the league listened, or at least noticed his eye-popping stats.

On Wednesday, the NFL honored Lamb as the NFC offensive player of the week. It’s the first weekly honor for Lamb, the fourth-year Cowboy. And it’s also the first time any Dallas receiver has earned the honor since Amari Cooper did so in 2018.

It’s difficult to ignore Lamb’s stats, especially since he’s compiling them week after week. You may not have to believe he’s the best in the game, but he’s certainly in the conversation. In a runaway, 49-17 victory over the Giants, Sunday, Lamb caught 11 catches from Dak Prescott for 151 yards and a touchdown. Plus, he also scored a 14-yard rushing TD.

As the Cowboys won their 12th straight contest at AT&T Stadium, Lamb became the first NFL receiver to catch at least 10 passes for a minimum of 150 yards in three consecutive games. And in post-game, Lamb used the b word, as in best.

“I’m the top receiver in this game,” Lamb told reporters in his post-game press conference. “There’s no question about it. If there is, I’ll see you again next week.”

Lamb started his amazing streak after Cowboys loss to 49ers

To think, this recent stretch all started after the Cowboys looked so miserable in a 42-10 loss at San Francisco. That was Oct. 8. And Lamb mentioned his frustrations with the Dallas offense. Coach Mike McCarthy acknowledged the offense needed to do better by Lamb. And it has. Since then, Lamb has reached at least 100 yards in four straight games. But his last three have been of the phenomenal variety with 191 yards against the Eagles and 158 against the Rams. He started the four-game hundred streak with 117 against the Chargers.

Lamb likely will surpass 1,000 yards this Sunday when the Cowboys meet Carolina at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. He’s sitting at 975. Two receivers — Tyreek Hill (1076) and AJ Brown (1,005) — already have eclipsed 1,000 yards as the league heads down its final stretch.

If you’re a Cowboys history buff, here are the other Dallas receivers who have won weekly honors.

• 2023 – CeeDee Lamb vs. NY Giants
• 2018 – Amari Cooper vs. Philadelphia
• 2018 – Amari Cooper vs. Washington
• 2014 – Dez Bryant at Philadelphia
• 2009 – Miles Austin at Kansas City
• 2007 – Terrell Owens vs. Washington
• 1994 – Alvin Harper vs. Cincinnati
• 1993 – Michael Irvin vs. San Francisco
• 1992 – Michael Irvin vs. Phoenix
• 1991 – Michael Irvin vs. Atlanta
• 1988 – Michael Irvin at Washington
• 1987 – Kelvin Edwards vs. Philadelphia

Note that Irvin, a Hall of Famer, won four times. He had this to say about Lamb this week:

“When it’s one-on-one, [Prescott should) throw the ball to 88,” Irvin said. “He’s the point man for this whole offense. It’s not the running game, it’s CeeDee Lamb. I like that they even put him in the running game yesterday, because they’re saying, ‘I’m still gonna put the football in my best guy’s hands some kind of way. Even when you double- or triple-team him, I’m going to pitch him some of these easy passes or easy plays to keep his head in the game.'”