Amari Cooper provided some of the heroics for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night as he caught the game-winning touchdown with 55 seconds remaining to give his team a 20-16 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
The clutch play came despite teammate CeeDee Lamb’s best efforts to persuade backup quarterback Cooper Rush to send the ball his way.
“We were double left. That means I line up to the left, on the short side of the field,” Cooper explained to reporters after the game. “CeeDee wanted the ball really bad. He told Cooper [Rush], ‘it’s double right, right?’
“That would put me on the right side and him on the left. And I was like, ‘Nah, it’s double left, bro.’”
Cooper then said Lamb pleaded with him to switch spots.
“He was like, ‘Coop, you gonna let me get this?’” Cooper continued. “I was like, ‘Hell naw.’ That’s how much pride I take in wanting that ball in those pivotal moments. I know I can go up and make a play. For sure, he tried to steal my touchdown.”
Cooper added he does not blame Lamb for trying to get the ball for himself, explaining that it is just an example of how much confidence both receivers have when it comes to wanting the ball in big spots.
Cooper, who finished the game with eight catches for 122 yards and a TD, was actually a bit hobbled on the play, too.
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After making a 33-yard juggling catch and 18-yard catch and run on the next play, the wide receiver exited the game to treat a tweaked hamstring on the sideline. Cooper was seen using a ball to loosen up as the drive continued.
Cooper returned to the game after Ezekiel Elliott converted a short pass on third-and-11 into a first down, which forced the Vikings to call timeout. Although the receiver said he still wasn’t 100%, he wanted the ball.
“I couldn’t get the release I really wanted,” Cooper said. “I could have killed [Cameron Dantzler] on the release and made the catch easier. I didn’t want to risk hurting it even more. I said to myself, ‘if he throws it to me I will have to go up’ and get it and that’s what I did.”
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