Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb Flattened by Referee, Flagged in Bizarre Preseason Sideline Incident

During the Dallas Cowboys’ preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams, reigning Pro Bowl wide receiver CeeDee Lamb—who wasn’t even suited up—took one of the most unusual hits of the night. Celebrating what he thought was a big play, Lamb wandered near the field’s white sideline boundary reserved for officials. Suddenly, side judge Anthony Jeffries, sprinting to keep up with the action, plowed into Lamb from behind, knocking both to the turf. This rare collision resulted in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Dallas.

A Lesson in Sideline Discipline

Referee Alex Moore later clarified: “CeeDee Lamb was standing in the restricted white border area, which is our area to officiate the game... With that contact, it’s an automatic foul.” Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer took a balanced stance—concerned about discipline, but relieved none were injured. He remarked, “CeeDee knows better. We know better.”

Despite the comedic tone of the moment, Lamb shrugged it off with humor, laughing it off alongside teammates, and was otherwise uninjured.

A Rare Sideline Gaffe

Cowboys fans—and NFL watchers—certainly don’t see this kind of collision every day. Standing in the flank of live action in street clothes and getting run over by a referee is well outside the norm. As Moore noted, "Normally we don’t have anybody standing that deep into the restricted area... so it is a rare occurrence."

What Fans Are Saying

The incident quickly became a talking point online, with Reddit users bringing humor to the moment:

“Ref really sLambed into him...”
“That was a lamb joke”
“This is the most Cowboys thing I’ve ever seen.”