CeeDee Lamb confronts his drop streak, battling focus issues. Will he silence critics against the Chiefs as both teams unveil final injury updates?
Eight.
That's the number of drops Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb has in his eight games this season, and in the win against the Philadelphia Eagles, it was plaguing No. 88's game.
What's more, six of CeeDee's eight drops have come in the two games against the Eagles, per ESPN, so it might just be the way Vic Fangio's defense plays that gives Lamb trouble when it comes to catching the football.
Outside of the two Eagles games, Lamb has just two drops in six games, which is far more like the All-Pro we know him to be.
And now on Thursday the 5-5-1 Cowboys play Thanksgiving host to the 6-5 Chiefs ... with the focus shifting.
Lamb's focus on the ball - a sort of "mental health,'' if you will.
And the roster's focus on overcoming short-week aches and pains - "phyiscal health,'' to be sure.
The final injury list for Dallas and KC has been released, and as you can see in our Mike Fisher's tweet below, it's "largely all hands on deck at The Star,'' with only tackle Tyler Guyton unable to go.
Meanwhile, back to Lamb ...
Those drops? They just can't happen, and it isn't that the drops are tough catches and 50/50 balls; they go straight through his hands, and that is what makes Cowboys Nation so frustrated.
So, what is the reason for so many drops?
"It's really just lack of focus on my end, honestly, just thinking of doing two before one, and it's been plenty of that going on," Lamb said. "By that I mean I'm thinking about my next move before catching the ball and things of that nature. It's not really much on anybody else, but myself, and I've never been a type to really point the finger. It's all on me, and I got to handle that."
A lack of focus is an easy fix, and, going by head coach Brian Schottenheimer, as Lamb returned to practice this week, there was a different look in his eye. ...
Almost as if he's determined to prove to the world against Kansas City that he's still "that" guy, right alongside his brilliant buddy George Pickens.
"He has that look in his eye, he means business," Schotty said of Lamb.
Well, time will tell if Lamb - who is promising he will "catch the (expletive) ball'' - can truly get past the mental hurdle that he is no doubt experiencing right now after so many drops against Philadelphia.
And you better believe that KC coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's defense is going to make life tough for Lamb on Thursday by trying to get in to his head negatively as a counterbalance to Dallas doing so positively.