Cowboys' Dak Prescott explains in-game exchanges with CeeDee Lamb during tough game vs Saints

Multiple times during the Dallas Cowboys' horrible and concerning 44-19 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, quarterback Dak Prescott was not in the same page as wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.

Most notably, the pairing failed to connect in the first half in what could've been a significant touchdown as Lamb ran a vertical seam route while leaning inside and Prescott placed the ball on his right, targeting his outside shoulder. Shortly after, the Cowboys settled for a field goal.

Prescott faced questions about he and Lamb having discussions during the game.

"(Lamb's) expectation and standard for our connection and this offense are just as high as mine," Prescott told reporters postgame via Mike Leslie from WFAA . "So, no matter what the route is, neither of us are happy unless it's perfect, the perfect play, really."

Prescott's response to the question is to be expected. Both he and Lamb constantly preach about how their special connection in 2023 had a direct correlation with the hours they put in during the offseason. However, it's impossible to ignore the miscommunications after Lamb missed training camp due to a contract holdout.

"It's just about being more clean," Prescott added. We've missed some time, everybody knows that but we have to have those communications to be able to substitute for the time missed."

Ultimately, the Cowboys' loss had much more to do with the defense getting pushed around than it did with the offense, but Dallas' unit has room for improvement. Once again, the team struggled in situational football, going 0-for-3 in the red zone.

After Sunday, it's clear the Cowboys' All-Pro caliber QB-WR duo needs to do it quickly. As talented as it is, the defense reminded the NFL world that it's vulnerable to strong rushing offenses that are willing to test Dallas' edges in the run game. The Saints averaged five yards per attempt on Sunday, with Alvin Kamara going for an average of 5.8 yards per carry.

In other words, the offense will need to be on point moving forward and that starts with Prescott and Lamb. If they're going to have a shot at a hungry Baltimore Ravens squad that started the year 0-2, the two need to be locked in.