Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb fined over $20,000 for this heady play

CeeDee Lamb had a rough outing back on Sept. 22 in the Cowboys’ loss to the Ravens. His costly fumble in the red zone contributed significantly to an overall collapse that eventually had the team down by 22 points before they were able to stop the bleeding. Lamb all but checked out entirely after the miscue and was even seen having heated exchanges on the sideline with teammates and coaches.

Thursday night’s win over the Giants, in which Lamb posted seven catches for 98 yards and a score, certainly helped put the previous weekend behind him (he also apologized for his behavior), but it turns out he’s not done paying for his Week 3 performance.

Per NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, the NFL has fined Lamb $22,511 for unnecessary roughness on a play that didn’t draw much attention when it happened.

On the final play of the first quarter, Lamb hauled in a short pass from quarterback Dak Prescott at about the Baltimore 20. He spun away from cornerback Nate Wiggins and broke for the end zone. At the 10, as linebacker Trenton Simpson wrapped him up from behind, Lamb met safety Kyle Hamilton head-on.

Literally.

The league has determined that Lamb used his helmet illegally on the play, even though the moment didn’t draw a penalty flag from the officials on the field. The hit doesn’t seem particularly noteworthy, even when viewed in replay.

Yet the official rulebook specifies: “It is a foul if a player: lowers his head and makes forcible contact with his helmet against an opponent; or uses any part of his helmet or facemask to butt or make forcible contact to an opponent’s head or neck.”

Cowboys safety Markquese Bell was also fined- $5,500- for unnecessarily rough use of his own helmet in the same game.

League officials were on a bit of a rampage after Week 3, with 34 plays from across the league drawing fines totaling over $394,000. Several players were docked even more than Lamb; Packers running back Josh Jacobs was hit with a $45,020 fine and Chargers defensive back Derwin James was dealt a one-game suspension, both for roughness (helmet) incidents.