Slow-motion replay shows CeeDee Lamb did Dak Prescott dirty on INT vs. Lions

Confidence was not high heading into Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions, but we’re not sure anyone expected the Dallas Cowboys to lose by 38 points. Then again, getting blown out has become the norm for this team, which was once unbeatable at AT&T Stadium.

While the defense allowed 47 points and nine straight scoring drives to start the game, Mike McCarthy is once again under fire for his unimaginative offense.

Between calling first down runs to Ezekiel Elliott, only giving Rico Dowdle two carries in the first half and Dak Prescott throwing into a tight window on seemingly every dropback, McCarthy had a nightmarish game as a play-caller.

While McCarthy is deservedly facing the music, the players also need to be held accountable for a lousy performance. That includes Prescott, who threw an ugly interception in the end zone that many viewed as a potential death knell given how easily Detroit scored on its first drive.

It was a horrendous decision and throw by Prescott, who got deceived by the vision of Lions defensive back Brian Branch. However, replay showed that CeeDee Lamb didn’t do his quarterback any favors.

Cowboys fans question CeeDee Lamb’s effort on Dak Prescott’s interception vs. Lions.

Here’s a slow-motion replay of Prescott’s turnover. It was arguably the easiest interception of Branch’s career, but Lamb could have made an effort to break it up.

"Really great interception, I'm sure Dak did not even see him when he let the ball go."@TomBrady breaks down what he saw on Dak Prescott's INT

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/ipqXZMWCAk

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 13, 2024

If you pause the video at the 17-second mark, it appears that Lamb is in a position to make a play on the ball. While Lamb’s odds of catching the pass were extremely low, he didn’t put forth any effort whatsoever to break it up. It looked as though Lamb gave up on the play once he realized the pass couldn’t be caught.

We have all seen how freakishly athletic Lamb is. His acceleration and ball skills are among the best at the wide receiver position. We’ll never know if Lamb could have prevented the turnover, but Prescott put a ton of air on the throw. A fully-sprinting No. 88 potentially reaches Branch in time to at least disrupt his concentration.

For whatever reason, Lamb continued jogging on his route out of the end zone. Cowboys fans have seen the All-Pro receiver display poor body language and questionable effort amidst blowouts, but the score was 7-3 in the first quarter at the time of the interception.

Again, Prescott deserves to wear most of the blame. It was a heinous throw and decision – and Branch made a great play – but sometimes the best play a WR can make is saving their quarterback from an ugly turnover.

It is a bad look that Lamb didn’t even try to bail out Prescott.