The Cowboys opened their Monday night game in Las Vegas with a puzzling move. CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens remained on the sideline for the team’s first offensive drive.

Both were suited up and standing near the bench with their helmets on, but the team started with Jalen Tolbert, Ryan Flournoy, and KaVontae Turpin instead. For a moment, Cowboys Nation wondered if something was wrong. But reporter Arye Pulli shared the update. 

“Cowboys PR told the broadcast that it was a coaches’ decision. Seems disciplinary,” he wrote on X.

Still, the moment raised eyebrows. And the offense did nothing with that first chance. Dallas went three and out fast. Javonte Williams got two early runs. The idea was clear. Establish the ground game, but they failed.

Then the next possession turned ugly. Dak Prescott waited for a window. He held the ball too long. Maxx Crosby burst in and punched it out. Suddenly, the Cowboys were playing from behind.

Meanwhile, statistically, CeeDee Lamb has been solid this year. He owns 35 grabs for 491 yards. One score in six games. And Pickens has also been explosive. He has 49 catches for 764 yards and six touchdowns in nine games.

And that is why the sideline start stung so much. It made no sense from a football point of view. Now the question is, did they return to the field?

Ceedee Lamb and George Pickens’ performance

In the second drive, both Ceedee Lamb and George Pickens walked back onto the field. Then the questions started. Nobody expected Lamb and Pickens to open the game watching from the sideline. They are top-tier weapons in this offense.

However, after the game, HC Brian Schottenheimer did not give the reason. He stayed quiet about the brief benching.

He only offered one line. “Made a coach’s decision. There were some things that were missed.”

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That raised more eyebrows. Reporters also asked Lamb what happened. He shut it down quick. “I’m not going into that,” Lamb said, per NFL Media. “I’m sorry.”

However, both Lamb and Pickens played well in the loss. Pickens caught nine passes for 144 yards and scored. Lamb followed with five grabs for 66 yards and another touchdown.

As the Cowboys left Sin City with a 33–16 win, the early benching faded into the background, but the questions did not.