The Dallas Cowboys returned from their bye on Monday night in a battle with the Las Vegas Raiders, but two of their best players had to wait a bit to join their teammates.
The Cowboys received the kickoff to start the game, but CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens didn’t play on the offense’s first drive of the game. While Dallas went nowhere, the story quickly became about Lamb and Pickens, the Cowboys’ top two wide receivers.
Here’s why both Lamb and Pickens didn’t play on Dallas’ first offensive drive.
Why were CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens not playing?
As the Cowboys offense took the field to begin the game against the Raiders, the team’s two best receivers didn’t join them. CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens both sat out for the Cowboys’ first offensive drive of the game, which resulted in a three-and-out.
On the broadcast, ESPN’s Lisa Salters said the reasoning wasn’t injury related and instead a coach’s decision by head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens did not play on the Cowboys’ first drive due to a coach’s decision. pic.twitter.com/owoJA7ZFpy
— ESPN (@espn) November 18, 2025
Therefore, it appears that Lamb and Pickens were benched for disciplinary reasons. Dallas didn’t reveal the news before the game, so Lamb and Pickens’ absence were a surprise to most people.
Once the Cowboys began their second drive, Lamb and Pickens were allowed to join the rest of the offense on the field. Whatever they did warranted a punishment, Schottenheimer decided to give them a one-drive penalty.
Schottenheimer didn’t get into specifics as to why he benched Lamb and Pickens, but he hinted that they may have missed some team events.
“Made a coach’s decision,” he told the media. “There were some things that were missed.”
However, the benching didn’t impact the wide receivers’ production for the rest of the game. Pickens produced nine catches for 144 yards and a touchdown, while Lamb had five catches for 66 yards and a touchdown.
