The overnight read on CeeDee Lamb's injury was quieter than Thursday night looked.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Friday that Lamb is believed to be dealing with a quad bruise that is not considered serious, NBC Sports' Rotoworld relayed. Lamb stayed on the field for a few more plays after his injury was announced during Dallas' 24-16 loss to Tampa Bay, and he was in and out of the game down the stretch.
The Cowboys now have more than a week before they face the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football at Lambeau Field on Oct. 18.
Coach Brian Schottenheimer described the injury as a repeat of an earlier hit rather than something new. DallasCowboys.com's Pic 6 said Schottenheimer told reporters Lamb had been dealing with the quad issue the previous week and got hit in the same spot again. That previous week was Houston, where Lamb caught 17 passes for 189 yards.
From 17 and 189 to two and nine
Thursday's box score was the opposite extreme. Lamb finished with two catches for 9 yards on five targets, Fantasy Guru and CBS Sports' game tracker listed. George Pickens still found the end zone on an 18-yard fourth-quarter touchdown from Dak Prescott, and Pic 6 recounted that Prescott's two-point try afterward, aimed at Lamb, fell incomplete.
A quiet target night does not by itself explain the thigh. The sequence matters more: an announced injury, a return for a few plays, and a player in and out late. Rapoport's bruise report lines up with Schottenheimer's "same spot" description without pointing to a longer absence.
What the receiving room looks like if he is limited
At Houston, Pic 6 noted, Pickens had a quiet two catches for 75 yards while drawing extra defenders, which helped open one-on-one chances for Lamb. If Lamb is limited early in the Packers week, more of the load could shift to Pickens, Jake Ferguson, Ryan Flournoy and KaVontae Turpin.
