Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

CeeDee Lamb Clears the Air on Why He and George Pickens Were on the Bench in Cowboys’ Opening Drive against the Raiders

Disciplinary issues the reason behind Lamb and Pickens benching on MNF!

Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

When the Dallas Cowboys’ offense took the field against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football (MNF), everyone, including the announcers, was surprised to see CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens on the bench.

Dallas started its opening drive without two of their main offensive players on the field, and the effects were for everyone to see. The Cowboys went 3 and out, and within no time, the offense was back on the sidelines. But why were the Cowboys’ top receivers not a part of the opening drive? Let’s find out.

George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb watched the first drive from the sidelines pic.twitter.com/5biuaK5jYa
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) November 18, 2025

Why Were Lamb and Pickens Benched on MNF?

During the Week 11 game, the sideline reporter for MNF, Lisa Salters, tried to get further information on why the duo was benched. While Salters couldn’t get exact clarity on the situation, she did reveal that it was not due to any injury but because of a coaching decision.

“I was just told by the Cowboys’ PR that the reason that CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens were not out on the field, it was not an injury-related situation; it was strictly a coach’s decision.”

News would then come out that the reason for the benching was a disciplinary issue, leading to the team’s decision. Initially, after the game, Lamb shied away from the questions regarding the incident and deflected them by saying it was a personnel thing. However, he finally opened up about it on Thursday to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News.

The Cowboys’ receiver confirmed that he and Pickens were at the Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas, where they had dinner and a few drinks. The pair then ended up missing the curfew. Additionally, Lamb also denied rumors of him being seen throwing up at 7:30, the morning of the game, calling it offensive and claiming that he knows how to hold his liquor.

CeeDee Lamb denied throwing up in a Las Vegas casino before the Cowboys-Raiders game because he “knows how to hold his liquor,” per @calvinwatkins

Lamb and George Pickens missed curfew after having dinner and a few drinks at Red Rock Casino and were benched during the team’s… pic.twitter.com/Islo0nqakT
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 20, 2025

Lamb and Pickens’ Effect on the 2025–26 Cowboys Season

Focusing on the field, the punishment of sorts seemed to have fired up the duo as both receivers balled out against the Raiders. The Cowboys inserted them in the game from the second drive onwards, as Dallas’ offense immediately clicked into gear.

Lamb finished the game with 5 catches for 66 yards and a touchdown, whereas Pickens was lethal with 9 receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown. Being the top receivers on the team, the duo has worked well in tandem so far this season. They seem to enjoy each other’s company, and that can also be seen on the field.

LEADER: Dallas #Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer went over to George Pickens & CeeDee Lamb and hugged them after they scored a touchdown.

Lamb and Pickens were benched for the first drive of the game due to disciplinary issues.

Schotty is the best 👏pic.twitter.com/neLoMRffL6
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) November 18, 2025

Irrespective of their bond, the Cowboys are still very much in the deep end of the pool with a 4-5-1 record on the season. Making the playoffs will not be an easy task, as they have little to no margin for error left.

Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

CeeDee Lamb

Dallas Cowboys

George Pickens

NFL

Devavrat Kulkarni

nfl

I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!