National Football League

Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb are NFL's best current duo. They'll need to carry Cowboys

Updated Jan. 12, 2024 6:15 p.m. ET

Jerry Jones was always convinced CeeDee Lamb could become one of the Dallas Cowboys' greatest receivers. He believed it so much he convinced him to wear No. 88, just like Drew Pearson, Michael Irvin and Dez Bryant. And Lamb is certainly putting up the numbers to belong in their company.

But there's one more thing he needs to do, particularly to fit in with the first two.

That's essentially what Irvin told him in a message he sent to Lamb on Sunday, after he broke Irvin's single-season franchise records for catches and receiving yards. Pearson was a Super Bowl champion. Irvin won three titles.

"Now it's time to go chase the ring. (That) was basically the message," Lamb said. "I'm with that. That's always been my end goal, and still is."

Lamb might have to do more than chase a Super Bowl ring. He and Dak Prescott might have to carry the Cowboys to one.

Prescott and Lamb are currently the NFL's most dynamic duo (with Tyreek Hill not at 100%) as they head into their wild-card playoff game at home against the Green Bay Packers (Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app). The only question is whether the offensive power they can provide will be enough for a team that sometimes has little else.

Lamb finished the season with a franchise record 1,749 receiving yards — over 1,000 yards more than any other wide receiver on the Cowboys (Brandin Cooks tallied 657). He has nearly 1,000 yards more than Prescott's No. 2 option, tight end Jake Ferguson, who has 761. And Ferguson and Cooks have combined for 125 catches — 10 fewer than Lamb (a franchise-record 135).

Lamb has accounted for 37.5 percent of the Cowboys' third-ranked passing offense. He's caught a third of Prescott's touchdown passes. And it's not like he's gotten a lot of help from the rushing attack, where Tony Pollard barely broke 1,000 yards and was worth negative rushing yards over expectation. Pollard ran into a loaded box at the fifth-lowest rate in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats.

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Clearly, it worked in the regular season, as the Cowboys went 12-5, won the NFC East and are the No. 2 seed in the conference playoffs. But will it be enough when the Cowboys start facing stronger defenses as the playoffs go on — especially when they tailor their game plans to prevent Lamb from beating them?

"What I think makes (what he's done) so amazing and impressive is the opponents are trying to take him away," said Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. "Let's be honest. Trying to double him, doing all of those things, and he's still able to go out there and do that? Why is that?

"Well, you start with the skill set. He's extremely talented, both route-running ability and strong hands, really good after the catch. I'm always going to talk about the work ethic and the practice ability. And he's one of the most instinctive football players I've ever been around."

It's hard to argue with his consistency. Lamb topped 100 receiving yards in eight games this season. He had an NFL-record seven games with at least 11 catches. He caught at least one touchdown pass in each of the last nine games.

And he's done it from everywhere. The Cowboys have lined him up wide on both sides, in the slot, and out of the backfield, and opponents still can't stop him. Coverages are constantly rolled his way, he's subjected to double teams and the production still hasn't stopped.

But a one-man show isn't always enough. The 49ers held Lamb to four catches for 49 yards back on Oct. 8 when they pounded the Cowboys 42-10. The Buffalo Bills limited him to just 53 yards on seven catches on Dec. 17 when they beat Dallas 31-10.

Both times, the Cowboys' biggest problem was no one else stepping up.

When they do get production from Cooks or Ferguson in the passing game, or even decent yardage from Pollard on the ground, the Cowboys' offense does tend to be unstoppable. It's just not something they've been able to count on consistently.

They know they can count on Lamb. And they're prepared to lean on the Prescott-Lamb connection as often as necessary.

"He's just a complete, complete receiver," Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said last week. "He's so dynamic with the football. Those two guys have taken it to another level."

"He has one of the hungriest mindsets I've been around in football," Prescott said. "And he's just getting started."

Lamb thinks so, too.

"I'm definitely one of the elite receivers in this game," he said. "I worked my tail off to be that and to say that confidently. It's good to be elite. But how long can you be elite is the next challenge."

The real next challenge is how elite he can be in the playoffs. The answer could help determine whether the Cowboys can end their 28-year championship drought. Because if they're going to win it all, Prescott and Lamb are going to have to lead them.

That's what truly elite players do.

Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.