After the Dallas Cowboys’ Week 11, 33-16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, head coach Brian Schottenheimer opened up on George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb’s benching. The two star players were absent from the opening drive, which raised questions among the Cowboys nation.

“Made a coach’s decision. There were some things that were missed,” he said as reported by Bobby Belt of 1053 The Fan.

However, Schottenheimer avoided digging deeper into the situation. But some reports claim that the two were benched as a disciplinary measure for violating the curfew while out in Las Vegas. The security footage showed the players in the hotel lobby after the cutoff time.

As FOX Sports Radio and CFO Sports host Jordan Michael Tucker explained on X,

“Fine: Ceedee and Pickens got caught out last night in Vegas. Broke curfew and got caught; they are all on camera in the lobby. Schotty disciplined them as he should.”

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This came into light when the Cowboys took the field, and the two top receivers were absent. However, the two did return to the field, as informed by ESPN’s Lisa Salters. Pickens led the team with nine catches for 144 yards and a touchdown. On the other hand, Lamb wasn’t behind, with five catches for 66 yards and one touchdown.

This action sent a clear message that the HC wanted to teach a lesson, not a mere punishment. However, the decision came as a surprise, even forcing Cowboys’ legend Michael Irvin to react. “Wow!!! NO 88 or 3 👀 👀 👀”

But everything seemed all right within the Cowboys’ locker room. The camera captured Schottenheimer approaching the receivers during the first half, hugging them with a huge smile on his face. However, the Cowboys are not the only team benching their players.

New York Giants edge rusher Abdul Carter also opened up on his benching. He revealed that it happened because he violated one of the team rules, but declined to give any further insights. Their interim head coach, Mike Kafka, also addressed this issue, stating,

”It’s something we talked about. I want to make sure it was my decision. So, we’ll just keep the rest of that in-house.”

However, benching didn’t matter much as the Cowboys rattled the Raiders, handing them their eighth defeat of the season.

Brian’s Cowboys dominated the Raiders

Coming from a bye week, the Cowboys were finally successful in breaking their losing streak against the Raiders. This win surely helped Dallas keep its slim playoff hopes alive.

Initially, their offense got off to a slow start, but in no time, they got their rhythm. Quarterback Dak Prescott completed 25 of 35 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns. He was able to spread the ball to Pickens and Lamb while continuing the drive on third down.

Dallas’ defense also looked better, with defensive tackle Quinnen Williams having 1.5 sacks. Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown also brought the speed as he returned from a knee injury.

Sitting at 4-5-1, the Cowboys will now face the Eagles, former Super Bowl champions, in Week 12 on Sunday.