It’s no secret that the Dallas Cowboys like to let Dak Prescott throw the ball, and specifically throw the ball to CeeDee Lamb. The Cowboys are second to last in the NFL when it comes to rushing attempts per game at 21.7, but first in the NFL in passing attempts per game at 39.4. Dallas is also last in the NFL in rushing yards per game at 74.1, but third in the NFL in passing yards per game at 256.
Now, some of that is due to the Cowboys trailing in a number of their games this season, but a lot of it is scheme, and just how the Cowboys are built. In this Cowboys pass happy offense Dak Prescott unsurprisingly gets the ball to CeeDee Lamb a lot. Lamb’s 45 receptions for 613 yards and four touchdowns are all team leading totals, and Lamb's 72 targets are 30 more than tight end Jake Ferguson's runner-up total of 42.
Earlier today former Atlanta Falcons Quarterback and now analyst for the Atlanta Falcons Radio Network Dave Archer told The Morning Shift what he thinks the Falcons’ defensive game plan should be against CeeDee Lamb and the Cowboys’ offense.
“You know CeeDee is gonna get his, and I don’t think you worry about that. I think that they do a good job of game planning to get him the football. They move him around a lot like we do with Drake and with Darnell Mooney, so he’s gonna get opportunities to catch a football regardless of what you’re doing defensively. The biggest thing is you don’t want anybody else to touch you up if you can.” Dave said.
Arch continued by talking about how the Falcons can’t afford to have Lamb have a big game and allow the Cowboys to have success running the football, and they can’t allow Lamb and another Cowboys receiver like Jalen Tolbert or KaVontae Turpin to have big games as well.
To Dave’s point the Dallas Cowboys, Mike McCarthy, and Dak Prescott are going to make sure CeeDee Lamb gets the football no matter what the Falcons do on defense, so instead of trying to stop the inevitable it would be smart for the Falcons to just take away and limit everything else the Cowboys can do and make them one dimensional.
If the Falcons succeed in making Dallas one dimensional then Falcons fans might just see the Falcons run defense and pass rush have that breakout game that they’ve been waiting for.
