CeeDee Lamb tried to return in the second quarter, but he pulled up limping after just one route
The Dallas Cowboys lost star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb early in the first quarter of their blowout 31-14 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon.
Lamb took a rare handoff in the backfield early at Soldier Field and broke for the right sideline, but his left ankle was rolled up on by Noah Sewell as he was tackled. Lamb was incredibly slow getting up, and limped off the field straight to the bench.
Lamb reportedly sustained a high ankle sprain on the play. The Cowboys did not place him on injured reserve on Monday, but he is expected to miss at least the next two games while recovering, according to the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. After that, he'll be considered week-to-week.
The play in question on Sunday ended up not counting due to offsetting holding penalties. Lamb remained out of the game as the Cowboys' drive continued. A few plays later, he limped into the blue medical tent without his cleat on.
The Cowboys finished the drive with a 53-yard field goal from Brandon Aubrey, which cut the Bears' lead to four points.
The Cowboys initially said he was questionable to return with an ankle injury. He came back for the start of the second quarter, but appeared to tweak his ankle while trying to run a route on the far side of the play. He started limping immediately and then waved for help from the team's athletic training staff as he slowly left the field.
Lamb was ruled out of the game at the start of the second half. After the contest, owner Jerry Jones said that the injury was not as serious as it could have been.
"Let's just keep our fingers crossed," he said, via The Athletic's Jon Machota.
Lamb entered Sunday's game with 222 yards on 16 catches this season, though he's yet to score a touchdown.
Even though the Cowboys put up 11 points in the second quarter to overcome a slow start, the Bears still took a 24-14 lead into the break at halftime -- thanks in part to a late 10-yard touchdown pass from Caleb Williams to Cole Kmet. Williams had 239 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. The Bears then held Dallas scoreless for most of the second half to seal the blowout win. That gave them their first victory of the season.
If Lamb only misses two games, he'll miss Sunday night's matchup with the Green Bay Packers and then next week's game against the New York Jets.