Dallas Cowboys are on a roll. After two consecutive wins over the Raiders and Eagles, they are lined up next against the Kansas City Chiefs. And Dak Prescott, who keeps delivering MVP-level performances, wants his team, especially CeeDee Lamb after his dropped passes in the Philly game, to be locked in against the Chiefs on Thursday.

”A huge game. Just go back and look at the career. Any game that maybe he’s not (played) to his standard or had a drop here or it’s been a frustrating game, the way he’s responded has been unquestionable. I know earlier this year it was the same way. From the first time we played (at Philadelphia) to his next game, I don’t expect this to be any different,” Prescott said, as reported by Jon Machota of The Athletic.

Through the first four seasons of his career, Lamb had never reached double digits in drops. But when Prescott went down midway through 2024, the receiver’s total ballooned to a personal high of 11, per TruMedia. The issue resurfaced immediately in 2025, and through 11 contests this fall, Lamb has already matched eight drops, the most by any Cowboys player since Dez Bryant in 2012.

Six of those came in the two meetings with Philadelphia alone, including three in Week 1 and three more in Sunday’s win that helped set the stage for a massive Thanksgiving matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The costliest mistake came late in regulation. With a tie game at 21 and less than four minutes remaining, Dallas faced third-and-goal from the one-yard line. Prescott threw a well-placed ball to a diving Lamb in the right corner of the end zone, but it caromed off his forearm and fell incomplete.

The Cowboys failed to convert again on fourth down, leaving Dallas momentarily stunned before rallying to finish the game. It’s a drop that didn’t change the outcome, but it amplified the concern inside the building.

Dallas head coach Brian Schottenheimer was unequivocal on the matter, flatly stating Lamb’s role isn’t going to diminish. He added the game plan remains to go through No. 88 as one of the first reads in the passing game, and one shaky outing doesn’t alter how the Cowboys feel about their most electrifying offensive playmaker.

The Cowboys receiver has taken accountability for that as well.

Lamb owns the problem amid Dak Prescott’s message

Breaking down the cause, Lamb quickly owned up to the mistakes being mental, not physical, and that fixing them starts with honing his concentration.

“I gotta lock in on my mentals, man,” Lamb said during preparation for what he hopes to be a bounce-back against Kansas City.

“It ain’t really too much going on as far as catching the ball. It’s not really anybody in my way. I’m the only one guarding myself,
I feel like. So, yeah, we’re gonna fix that. I just gotta lock in, be myself, and do what got me here. I’m in this position for a reason,” he added.

Film review only reinforced his point: the drops did not result from tight coverage or contested windows. Instead, Lamb’s miscues consistently stemmed from rushing his transition after the catch, trying to make a move before securing the ball.

“It’s really just a lack of focus on my end, honestly,” Lamb added. “Just thinking of doing two before one. And there’s been plenty of that going on. And by that, I mean, I’m thinking about my next move before catching the ball, and things of that nature. There’s not really much on anybody else but myself.”

Still, there were flashes of his elite ability, including the 48-yard grab in the fourth quarter against Philadelphia that helped ignite Dallas’ late scoring push. Lamb has responded to adversity before. Earlier this season, after another difficult outing, he erupted for 112 yards and a touchdown against the New York Giants, catching all nine targets from Prescott.

He believes a similar rebound is within reach despite the challenge of facing a swarming Chiefs defense that plans to key on both Lamb and George Pickens.