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Move over, Michael Irvin; a new Cowboys receiver is smashing franchise records.
With 13 catches for 227 yards and a touchdown, CeeDee Lamb didn’t just break a pair of Irvin’s single-season receiving records; he obliterated them.
In 1995, Irvin caught 111 passes for 1,603 yards, both of which at the time were Cowboy records that we all knew would likely stand for a while.
Irvin put up those scintillating numbers in his eighth NFL season.
Lamb broke those two single-season records in half that time, with the 24-year-old currently at 122 catches in 2023 for 1,651 yards in year four of his NFL career.
His record-breaking reception may not be a memory Lamb will want to remember.
That’s because catch #112 of 2023 ended with a fumble touchback and the Detroit Lions taking possession.
There were plenty of highlight-reel moments for Lamb throughout the contest though.
The biggest was a 92-yard touchdown grab in the opening quarter with the Cowboys pinned deep in their end of the field and Dak Prescott under duress.
That was the longest TD catch of Lamb’s career and the second-longest in the history of this franchise.
It was three yards shy of breaking the Cowboys’ all-time record, set in 1966 at D.C. Stadium when Don Meredith hit Bob Hayes for a 95-yard score in a 31-30 victory over Washington.
On Saturday, the Cowboys also won by a single point, defeating the Lions 21-20 in a drama-filled affair.
Irvin and numerous Dallas legends were on hand for Jimmy Johnson’s induction into the Ring of Honor.
A Sign of Things to Come?
For those who believe in foreshadowing, there are parallels from what Irvin’s 95 Cowboys achieved and what Lamb and the 2023 edition of America’s Team have done.
When Irvin set those single-season franchise records in 95, the Cowboys went on to win the Super Bowl.
Irvin had 10 receiving touchdowns that year, the same as Lamb through the air in 2023.
The three-time Super Bowl champion, though, only hit the century mark for catches in a single campaign once.
Irvin, Lamb and Jason Witten (112 catches in 2012) are the only three to reach the century mark for catches in a season.
Lamb’s hit the century mark for receptions in successive campaigns, the only Cowboy to do so.
His 227 yards receiving on Saturday are a career-high in a single game, while he’s got eight 100-yard receiving games in 2023, three shy of Irvin’s 11 in 95.
On Friday’s “Undisputed”, Irvin explained what Lamb breaking his record would mean.
“When we get to these places where we’re breaking records, I love it. Absolutely, because it brings back the history, especially when this man wears the same number that I did,” says Irvin.
Like Irvin, Lamb also wears #88.
In 1995, Dallas lost two successive December games, before winning their final two regular-season contests.
The 2023 Cowboys ended a two-game losing run on Saturday.
They could finish 2023 by also winning two in a row.
Dallas won 12 games in 1995, a feat Mike McCarthy’s group can reach with a victory next weekend.
The Cowboys’ next encounter is January 7, against the Washington Commanders.