After the Dallas Cowboys‘ Week 11, 33-16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, the Cowboys’ 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.
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“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 there are reports that claimed that the two of them were benched as a disciplinary measure, because they violated the curfew while out in Las Vegas. The security footage showed that the players were out in the hotel lobby after the cutoff time.
Brian Schottenheimer on Lamb and Pickens not starting: “Made a coach’s decision. There were some things that were missed.”
Praises them for not hanging their heads.
(@BobbyBeltTX) November 18, 2025
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.”
This came into the 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 clearly gave one message that the Cowboys just wanted to give a learning lesson, and not a long punishment. However, the decision did come as a surprise, as it even forced the Cowboys’ legend Michael Irvin to react. ” “Wow!!! NO 88 or 3 👀 👀 👀”
But everything is alright within the locker room. The camera captured Schottenheimer approaching the receivers during the first half. Giving them a hug with a huge smile on his face. The Cowboys are not the only team that benched their player.
Recently, 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, the benching didn’t matter much as the Cowboys were able to rattle the Raiders by giving 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 two back-to-back losing streak against the Raiders. This win surely helped Dallas keep its slim playoff hopes alive.
Initially, their offense had a slow start, but in no time, they got their rhythm. Quarterback, Dak Prescott completed 25 of 35 for 268 yards and four touchdowns. He was able to spread the ball and continue 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 returns from a knee injury.
Sitting at 4-5-1, the Cowboys will now face the Eagles, former Super Bowl Champions in Week 12.