CeeDee Lamb suffers concussion vs. Lions, ruled out

The Dallas Cowboys are clinging to their playoff dreams, but might’ve lost a key piece along the way.

Trailing 27-9 in the third quarter, the Cowboys were driving and hoping to get back into the game. Dak Prescott lofted a pass up for CeeDee Lamb in the end zone, but the receiver wasn’t able to brace his fall.

Lamb was down on the field for a few extra moments before getting up. He received some help from the trainers, bracing his left arm.

He also hit his head on the turf, which proved to be the injury that forced him out. After being checked out on the sidelines, Lamb headed off to the locker room, and was quickly ruled out after that.

Here’s the latest on Lamb.

CeeDee Lamb injury update

Lamb has been ruled out with a concussion.

It initially appeared that Lamb was dealing with an arm injury, but it was his head hitting the turf that proved to be the problem.

He appeared to be favoring his left arm after falling in the end zone. Lamb remained down for a few moments, but did walk off the field with trainers holding his arm.

Lamb was evaluated by doctors for about three minutes before quickly being ruled out and taken to the locker room, per the Prime Video broadcast. It was a quick diagnosis from the Cowboys, who will be without Lamb for the remainder of the game.

What is concussion protocol in the NFL?

The NFL’s concussion protocol is designed to ensure a player’s safety after suffering a head injury. It’s a five-step process that a player has to clear before they can return to play. Those steps are, as defined by the NFL:

1. Symptom limited activity
2. Aerobic exercise
3. Football specific exercise
4. Club-based non-contact training drills
5. Full football activity/clearance

Before a player enters the protocol, they are evaluated on the sideline. The tests are conducted by the team’s physician and unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant. The evaluation includes observing any ‘no-go’ symptoms, which are things like loss of consciousness, confusion, amnesia and more, in addition to history of concussions, other signs/symptoms and video review.

At that point, a neurological exam is conducted and the player is escorted to the locker room if the sideline evaluation leaves any doubt.

Cowboys WR depth chart

Here’s a look at the Cowboys WR depth chart for the remainder of Week 14 without Lamb:

1. CeeDee Lamb (injured)
2. George Pickens
3. Ryan Flournoy
4. KaVontae Turpin
5. Jonathan Mingo

Dallas has seen this movie before, losing Lamb to an ankle injury in Week 4. The star missed three contests with that injury, allowing Pickens to emerge as a big weapon in the team’s passing attack.

Flournoy and Turpin have each been effective in their roles, while Mingo is playing in just his second game of the season in Week 14.

Jalen Tolbert was a coach’s decision inactive for ‘Thursday Night Football’ in Detroit.

This story has been updated.