Notes: Career-High For Schultz; Lamb Laments Drops

CeeDee Laments Drops

With six catches for 50 yards Sunday, CeeDee Lamb became just the second Cowboys receiver (Bob Hayes) to reach 2,000 career scrimmage yards in his first two seasons.

But Lamb was disappointed with his overall performance.

"I played terrible, to be honest," he said. "I had three drops, something like that. I feel like I could've played better."

The sun at MetLife Stadium appeared to be a factor on at least one of Lamb's drops. But the second-year wideout offered no excuses.

"Just got to lock it in," he said.

-Rob Phillips (12/19)

Wind Affected Zuerlein's PATs

The Cowboys were well aware of the factor that the wind in East Rutherford might play in Sunday's game the moment they stepped on the field for pregame warmups before facing the Giants.

The team's decision to receive the opening kickoff was motivated by the desire to have the wind on their side in the fourth quarter, head coach Mike McCarthy said after the game.

The man who had to contend with the elements most often was kicker Greg Zuerlein, who claimed he couldn't get a feel for any consistency from the gusts of wind during pregame warmups.

"It was difficult to say the least," Zuerlein said.

The results could have been disastrous for Dallas had their defense not been able to prevent New York from ever reaching the end zone. Zuerlein missed the extra point on both touchdowns scored by the Cowboys on Sunday.

"Every time I've been here it's been on the windier side," the veteran kicker said of playing in MetLife Stadium. "Today was unique. It was really just going in one direction. Obviously I didn't play well enough. Fortunately we got the win."

Despite missing two extra points, Zuerlein was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals on Sunday, hitting from 26, 42, and 27 yards, all in the second quarter. After the game, he said that a short memory is less important than simply understanding that each kick needs to be approached differently, and he only thinks about a miss for a few minutes afterwards to make sure he understands exactly what went wrong.

As for escaping the East Coast with a victory, Zuerlein said he'll enjoy playing his next two games in the weather-controlled AT&T Stadium.

"Couldn't be happier to get back there," Zuerlein said with relief.

-Jonny Auping (12/19)

Pollard's Return

This month, Tony Pollard has been battling a foot injury that features a tear in his plantar fascia.

The third-year running back hardly looked limited Sunday, though.

In his return from a one-game injury absence, Pollard had 12 carries for 74 yards, showing good burst and averaging a robust 6.2 yards per attempt in the Cowboys' 21-6 victory.

Starter Ezekiel Elliott added 52 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.

Pollard said he'll likely have to manage the injury during the week for the rest of the season but thinks he'll continue to be fine on game days moving forward.

"Right now, I'm feeling pretty good," he said. "Game day, you have adrenaline going. You have guys in your head talking to you, boosting you up, so it's kind of easy to get going on game day.

It's just dealing with it week in and week out.

-Rob Phillips (12/19)

Jaylon Smith, New York Giant

Once a prominent member of the Dallas Cowboys' defense, Jaylon Smith lined up on Sunday against the team whose uniform he wore during training camp and the first few games of this season. Smith, who the Cowboys released back in October, was signed by the Giants this week and was ready for the matchup against the team that drafted him.

For moments, it seemed every bit the reunion. During back-to-back scuffles between numerous players on both teams after the whistle, Smith did not involve himself, instead choosing to say hello to Michael Gallup. At one point, Smith and Elliott patted each other on the chest immediately after a play.

The Cowboys' other running back, however, said that Smith did not have to say hello in order for him to be noticed.

"He tackled me a couple of times," Pollard said. "I could tell, every time, because he was a hard hitter, so I definitely knew it was him. It was good for him to get back on his feet, with another organization, giving it another try."

For Jourdan Lewis, who recorded an interception in Sunday's game, it was a relief to see Smith on the field doing what he's done his whole life.

"I feel amazing [for him]," Lewis said. "We've known each other since ninth grade. It's really good to see him out there running sideline to sideline, like I know he can. I'm a true believer that he's a starting linebacker here. He could play at a Pro Bowl level. He just needs the opportunity."

Smith had three tackles in his first game with the Giants.

-Jonny Auping (12/19)

Career-Highs For Schultz

Dalton Schultz got back in the end zone for the first time since Thanksgiving, catching a 1-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott for his fifth TD of the season in the Cowboys' 21-6 win over the Giants.

That's a new career high for the fourth-year tight end. And his game-best eight catches for 67 yards also set a new single-season career high in receiving yards (651), surpassing 615 last year. Schultz now needs two catches to tie his career-best 63 catches from last season.

With the Giants bracketing the Cowboys' outside receivers, Prescott was able to find Schultz in the middle of the field Sunday. It's a connection that's grown considerably over the past two seasons.

"These guys play a lot of soft zone, and we knew that. We're going to have a bunch of shell coverage," Schultz said. "If teams want to play zone against us, with guys we have on the outside, just getting to the spots, being in the right place for Dak. The underneath stuff can always open up when you have threats and weapons on the edge like we do."

-Rob Phillips (12/19)