'Let Me Touch The Rock!' Dallas Cowboys CeeDee Lamb Wants TD Throws in Red Zone

CeeDee Lamb is now the Dallas Cowboys' undoubted No. 1 receiver, and opposing defenses are having to bring two defenders to stop him, which he expects New England to do Sunday. Still, he says, "Let me touch the rock!''

After Amari Cooper was pushed out of Dallas via a spring 2022 trade dump to Cleveland, CeeDee Lamb was thrust into the Cowboys' No. 1 receiver role. It took a moment to fully "take,'' but once it did, grand things happened for the first-round pick Lamb.

After posting career-best numbers last season (107 receptions, 1,359 yards, and nine touchdowns), Lamb is now the focal point for opposing defenses.

With Dallas playing host to coach Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots on Sunday at AT&T Stadium, Lamb knows what's coming. ... and he knows the solution. Which is?

In short, Lamb said this week regarding Dallas' red-zone issues: "Let me touch the rock!''

More on that below. But first, here's Lamb on getting double-teamed, which figures as a Patriots game-plan item in Week 4 on Sunday.

“It’s bittersweet to kind of get doubled, bittersweet, very bittersweet,” Lamb said. “It means you’re doing something right, but also they’re trying to take you away from being productive in a game. Obviously, we have a plan for it, but yeah, I’m expecting to see a double-team.”

Belichick is famous for making offenses play left-handed by taking away the best player, so if Lamb is taken out of the game, others need to step up in his absence.

Luckily Dallas has plenty of (theoretical) weapons in Brandin Cooks, Michael Gallup, Jake Ferguson, KaVontae Turpin, Jalen Tolbert, and running backs Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle who can share the load.

But for all of Dallas' weapons, scoring touchdowns has been an issue. With the Cowboys having no problem getting into the red zone, but punching it in for seven points has proved rather difficult.

Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb / Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

With more of an emphasis on it during practice at The Star this week, many hope the Cowboys will be more efficient on Sunday.

For Lamb, he has a simple way to fix the red zone issues.

“Definitely has, we gotta score,” Lamb said. “It’s no secret, we been 3 of 11 (in red-zone touchdown chances) in the last two games, if I’m not mistaken. So let me touch the rock, I’m going to get into the end zone.”

Give 88 the ball, seems simple enough, doesn't it?

Lamb has totaled 19 receptions through three games on 24 targets, but he has only been targeted five times in the red zone for one completion - that needs to change. 

Additionally, Gallup (four) and Cooks (two) have barely been targeted as well, so there is a need to get the Cowboys' playmakers more involved. In three games, there have only been 14 red-zone completions on 30 attempts.

Looking at this stat alone tells us some of Dallas' problems. But fear not, Lamb has the answer ... give him the ball - let him "touch the rock.''