Is CeeDee Lamb NFL's Best Receiver? Ranking Cowboys $136 Million Star

FRISCO - CeeDee Lamb saved his best for last. In doing so, he might have saved the Dallas Cowboys’ season.

Lamb dominated Sunday’s 34-30 comeback victory in Houston, producing the greatest performance by a wide receiver in the 67-year history of the franchise. His 17 catches (for 189 yards and the game-winning touchdown) have only been topped by tight end Jason Witten, who had 18 in a game in 2012.

It’s an impressive feat for Lamb, especially considering the Cowboys’ wide-receiver legacy boasts Hall of Famers Bob Hayes, Drew Pearson and Michael Irvin. It’s also one the Cowboys desperately needed.

Coming off Week 3’s demoralizing last-second loss in Brazil, a duplicate defeat to the Texans would have left them emotionally reeling at 1-3. How big of a hole is that?

Only one team in NFL history - first-year starter Tom Brady’s 2001 New England Patriots - overcame a 1-3 start to win the Super Bowl. The 2024 champion Philadelphia Eagles were 2-2; the 2025 trophy-lifting Seattle Seahawks 3-2.

Mediocre starts are salvageable. But 1-3 isn’t.

The Cowboys came awfully close.

Down 30-27 with 1:45 remaining, they faced 4th-and-4 at their 32-yard line. Their win percentage before that snap: 21 percent. Failure there, and hello, 1-3.

Instead, quarterback Dak Prescott continued his second-half masterpiece (20 of 25 for 248 yards and the game-winning strike to Lamb) with a calm, accurate 7-yard completion to tight end Jake Ferguson. Whew!

In the do-or-die, two-minute drill, Dallas drove 74 yards in 11 plays and gained five first downs along the way. Prescott went 8 of 11, hitting George Pickens with a 22-yarder. He climaxed in the clutch with a missile to Lamb, who was unfathomably wide open in the end zone after shaking Texans’ safety Jalen Pitre and his “Great Gazoo” helmet topper on Irvin’s pet route: the “Skinny Post.”

In Houston on this afternoon, Lamb was also a GOAT. ... and yes, along with taking his place among the "88 Club'' legends at The Star, he ranks with the very best in the NFL at his position.

He turned 21 targets into 11 first downs, including three on the game-winning drive. The Cowboys were clearly determined to get him the ball, evidenced by three quick screens and even a hand-off.

Instead of 1-3 desperation, the Cowboys now head into Thursday night’s home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 2-2 confidence.

The defense will get more snaps from newly acquired cornerback Joey Porter (he played only 24 of 52 in Houston), while getting the luxury of facing rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels (replacing injured Baker Mayfield). The offense hopes to welcome the return of Pro Bowl guard Tyler Smith.

And, when in doubt, there’s always Lamb. That four-year, $136 million contract extension in August 2024 looks worthy every penny.