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.

After the first quarter, the Cowboys trail 3 to 6. So the pressure grows. Now let’s see how they approach further.

Stay here. More updates are coming soon…