Cowboys Week 8 Studs and Duds: CeeDee Lamb goes off against Rams

Week 8 ended up being a very good one for the Dallas Cowboys.

They went into the bye with a win over the Los Angeles Chargers and then hosted the Los Angeles Rams this weekend. And it didn't take long to see they were going to run away with this one.

Dallas scored 17 points in the first quarter and went into the half with a 33-9 lead. Matthew Stafford and the Rams scored to kick off the third quarter but Dallas just kept pouring it on and Stafford even had to leave with a thumb injury.

The end result was a 43-20 win for Dallas. Now at 5-2 on the year, let's see who stood out as both studs and duds in this win.

Cowboys Stud: Jake Ferguson, Tight End

Earlier this season, Dak Prescott was telling everyone just how good Jake Ferguson could be. Replacing Dalton Schultz as the starter, the second-year player has put together several good games but has yet to truly break out.

On Sunday, he again showed off why the Cowboys were willing to make him the starter and why Prescott was such a believer in him.

Ferguson capped off the opening drive with a finger-tip grab for an 18-yard touchdown to put his team up 7-0.

He followed that up with two 12-yard receptions in the second quarter, the second of which set Dallas up at the L.A. nine-yard line. They were unable to score with Jordan Fuller picking off a tipped pass but Ferguson still set his team up nicely on that drive.

Ferguson ended up with 47 yards on four receptions which is the kind of stat line this offense would love to see from him every week.

Cowboys Stud: Brandon Aubrey, Kicker

When the Cowboys went into the season with Brandon Aubrey as the kicker, and didn’t give him any competition, it seemed as though they were taking a huge risk. But special teams coach John Fassel believed in the former soccer player who turned into a kicker and has been rewarded for that faith.

Aubrey entered Week 8 with 16 made field goals in 16 attempts. He did push the ball wide on his first extra point in Week 1, but since then, has been automatic.

That continued against the Rams when he took the field near the end of the first quarter to attempt a 58-yarder, which was a career-long for him. Not only did he calmly sink the long kick, but it was right down the field, and had several yards to spare.

Aubrey came back and hit one from 27 yards in the third quarter to extend the lead to 36-17, which was his 18th make in a row. That tied an NFL record, something very few of us expected when they announced the USFL product as their kicker.

He's a major weapon and could set a new NFL record next week if he makes his first attempt when the Cowboys visit the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles.

Cowboys Dud: Offensive Line

The offense started out on a bad foot as Dak Prescott was sacked his first two dropbacks, and it could have been three.

First, Michael Hoecht got through and sacked Prescott for a five-yard loss on the opening play of the game. A four-yard run from Tony Pollard made it third-and-11 on their first drive, and this time Byron Young took him down for a four-yard loss.

Dallas was bailed out on that one, however, since Quentin Lake was called for illegal contact on CeeDee Lamb down the field. The five-yard penalty gave the Cowboys a fresh set of downs and they started this one in a hole as well.

Prescott dropped back on first-and-10 from the 30 and was sacked by Aaron Donald for a seven-yard loss. Again, it was CeeDee Lamb who bailed them out when he got open for a short reception and then broke a tackle before fighting his way past the sticks for a 17-yard gain and another first down.

That opened the floodgates as they quickly marched down the field and scored on a touchdown pass to Jake Ferguson. Despite the finish, the start was marred by poor pass protection — and even on the plays where Prescott got the ball out, he was often moving around and avoiding pressure.

The issues continued later in the first quarter when Zack Martin was beaten by Donald, who sacked Prescott on third-and-four, forcing them to settle for a field goal on a promising drive.

Cowboys Stud: CeeDee Lamb, Wide Receiver

With the offense in a hole early, they needed a spark and CeeDee Lamb gave that to them. The No. 1 wideout first drew a flag on third-and-11 to move the sticks. After Dak Prescott was sacked for the second time on the day, Lamb delivered again on second-and-17.

This time, he caught a short pass in the middle of the field and made his guy miss the tackle. From there, he marched to the sticks and was able to force his way forward while being tackled to give the offense another first down.

Lamb has made it no secret that he wants the ball more in order to help his team win and he backed that up with three quick catches for 26 yards on the opening drive. Jake Ferguson was the one who hauled in the touchdown reception, but they would have been punting on the opening possession if not for No. 88.

He was far from done on that drive as he opened the next series up with another 17-yard reception as well before hauling in two touchdown passes in the second quarter. First, he scored from 10 yards out and then found an opening in the end zone when Prescott had to scramble out of trouble for a 22-yard touchdown.

Lamb ended up with 12 receptions for 158 yards to go along with the two touchdowns. It was his best game of the season and continues to prove he's been right when asking for the ball to come his way more often.

Not only did he put up monster numbers but he also helped open the game up for others. Jake Ferguson had 47 yards on four catches and Brandin Cooks brought in three receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown.

Cowboys Stud: Dak Prescott, Quarterback

Despite being sacked the first three times he dropped back to pass (one was negated by a Los Angeles penalty in the secondary), Dak Prescott started this game on fire and never cooled off.

He shook off the poor pass protection and capitalized on the illegal contact penalty on third-and-11 to move the offense downfield in a hurry. First, he hit CeeDee Lamb for 17 yards on second-and-17, then completed six more passes on seven attempts for a total of 77 yards on the opening drive.

Prescott capped that off with a touchdown pass to tight end Jake Ferguson, who hauled it in with his fingertips for an 18-yard score.

In the second quarter, he had two more touchdowns — both to Lamb. The second came after he had to bail out of the pocket and buy time for Lamd to find a soft spot in the defense. He then capped the day off with a 25-yarder to Brandin Cooks.

That made it a 43-17 lead for the Cowboys and Prescott went to the sideline to prepare for the Eagles in Week 9. He finished with 304 yards and four touchdowns.

The critics will stay out for Prescott but if he continues to play the way he did in this one, it will be hard for them to find much to pick on.

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