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Todd Archer
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb did not play in Saturday’s 31-21 preseason loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but he took one of the bigger hits of the game.
As quarterback Joe Milton III loaded up for a deep pass to Jonathan Mingo in the second quarter, Lamb, the Cowboys’ Pro Bowl receiver, began to celebrate, anticipating a big play.
One problem: He was on the white paint of the sideline reserved for the officials during the action and was clobbered from behind by side judge Anthony Jeffries, who was chasing the play.
“I hope the guy’s OK. They said he’s OK, the official that he ran into, but we have to be better than that,” Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “CeeDee knows better. We know better.”
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The Cowboys were flagged 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, and the Rams were also flagged for pass interference. Instead of having the ball at the Los Angeles 23, the Cowboys had it at the 38. They eventually settled for a field goal.
“It’s more of a rare situation. Normally, we don’t have anybody standing that deep into the restricted area or that type of forceful contact,” referee Alex Moore said in a pool report. “So it is a rare occurrence, but it does happen from time to time.”
The Cowboys did not complain about the call.
“It’s something that everybody is aware of, that white area is our area to work safely,” Moore said.
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Lamb was uninjured and laughed it off with his teammates on the sideline.
“I seen him walking so I think he’s pretty fine,” Milton said.
Schottenheimer was displeased with the Cowboys’ discipline throughout the game. They were flagged 11 times for 83 yards. Though he said he was “fine” with combative penalties, the pre-snap penalties — backup tackle Asim Richards was called for illegal formation on consecutive plays because he lined up incorrectly — and flags like the one on Lamb were too much.
“You can’t give away penalties in this league,” Schottenheimer said.