CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens benched: Why Cowboys WRs sat out first drive on Monday Night Football vs. Raiders

CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens benched: Why Cowboys WRs sat out first drive on Monday Night Football vs. Raiders originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Dallas Cowboys returned from their bye on Monday night in a battle with the Las Vegas Raiders, but two of their best players had to wait a bit to join their teammates.

The Cowboys received the kickoff to start the game, but CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens didn't play on the offense's first drive of the game. While Dallas went nowhere, the story quickly became about Lamb and Pickens, the Cowboys' top two wide receivers.

A few days after the Cowboys' 33-16 win over Las Vegas, Lamb told reporters that he and Pickens missed curfew on Sunday night, which is why both players missed the start of "Monday Night Football." At the time, it was a "coach's decision."

Here's why both Lamb and Pickens didn't play on Dallas' first offensive drive.

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Why were CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens not playing?

As the Cowboys offense took the field to begin the game against the Raiders, the team's two best receivers didn't join them. CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens both sat out for the Cowboys' first offensive drive of the game, which resulted in a three-and-out.

When speaking to the media on Thursday, Lamb said that him and Pickens missed curfew after the two had dinner and drinks at Red Rock Casino. Though there were rumors that Lamb was spotted throwing up, he denied that.

Lamb was asked about how he was informed of the benching, but said he won't go into specifics., saying "honestly, I'm not. I'm sorry, I'm not."

On the broadcast, ESPN's Lisa Salters said the reasoning wasn't injury related and instead a coach's decision by head coach Brian Schottenheimer.

Dallas didn't reveal the news before the game, so Lamb and Pickens' absence were a surprise to most people.

Once the Cowboys began their second drive, Lamb and Pickens were allowed to join the rest of the offense on the field. Whatever they did warranted a punishment, Schottenheimer decided to give them a one-drive penalty.

Schottenheimer didn't get into specifics as to why he benched Lamb and Pickens, but he hinted that they may have missed some team events.

"Made a coach's decision," he told the media. "There were some things that were missed."

However, the benching didn't impact the wide receivers' production for the rest of the game. Pickens produced nine catches for 144 yards and a touchdown, while Lamb had five catches for 66 yards and a touchdown.

On Tuesday, Schottenheimer spoke about what it's like having the two, saying he wants Pickens to remain in Dallas long-term.

Those two guys, I just love their relationship, man. I love the firepower that they give us," Schottenheimer said. "That's one of those games where you never know which one it's going to be. Some games it's both of them, some games it's one of them, and again, like I said, I pinch myself at times."