CeeDee Lamb sent the perfect post-game message following the Dallas Cowboys’ Week 2 win over the Washington Commanders, and Cowboys fans should pay close attention.

The Cowboys are 1-1 after hanging 37 points on Washington in a dominant offensive performance. There’s plenty to unpack from Sunday’s game, but it starts with what Lamb said after the final whistle. The star wide receiver had a monster day with 153 receiving yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Dak Prescott. The Commanders simply could not stop him.

His message? The Commanders offended the Cowboys right from the get go by their decision to defer after winning the coin toss.

“Honestly, personally, I just kind of take it offensive that they want to put our offense out first, like we’re not who we are,” Lamb told reporters. “So, from now on, I feel like we just got to control the narrative and control what we can do. If they give us the ball first, we go score first.”

The right mindset at the right time

Now, to be fair to the Commanders, deferring is a sound strategy. Most teams prefer receiving the second-half kickoff because of the advantages it provides. Washington wasn’t trying to send a message. That said, I love that Lamb wants this to be the mindset of the Dallas Cowboys football team, and Sunday’s victory is the perfect reason why.

Listen, I have concerns about the Christian Parker defense. You probably do too. But what this season is about right now is the Cowboys trying their hardest to steal as many wins with a high-powered offense while the defense figures it all out, because that’s going to take time. And while Dallas works through growing pains on that side of the ball, the identity will be putting 30-plus on the scoreboard, just as they did Sunday.

They did all of this without left tackle Tyler Smith. They hung 37 on Washington without being able to run the football effectively. Dallas came out, said they were going to throw at the Commanders, and dared them to stop it. Washington did not.

Dak Prescott makes franchise history

Prescott played a near-perfect game, completing 84% of his pass attempts with four total touchdowns, including two to Lamb and two to tight end Jake Ferguson. He also became the franchise’s all-time leader in touchdown passes. Well deserved.

The most impressive part? The Commanders were actually generating pressure. According to NextGenStats, this was one of the best performances by any quarterback facing as much pressure as Prescott did in 2026. That’s nothing new, though. Prescott has been one of the best quarterbacks against the blitz for a long time.

He gets rid of the football in time, steps up into the pocket, and can even take off and run when needed. The Cowboys still need to figure out a way to help offensive tackle Terrence Steele in pass protection, but for now, Prescott just looks great.

Defense improving, but still a work in progress

Defensively, things looked much better from Week 1 to Week 2. There were far fewer missed assignments, and the tackling improved. Safety Caleb Downs got beaten at times but also had several good moments. Linebacker Jaishawn Barham forced a fumble, and the Cowboys recovered it, continuing a positive trend from Week 1. Prescott capitalized on the turnover by finding Ferguson for his second touchdown and Prescott’s fourth.

The concerns remain real, though. Dallas could not contain quarterback Jayden Daniels at all, and plenty of people will wonder what the game looks like if Daniels plays the entire second half. It would have been a lot closer, at minimum. That inability to contain a mobile quarterback is a major concern with Lamar Jackson on the schedule next week in Brazil.

The Cowboys are also dealing with mounting injuries on defense, with linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and safety Malik Hooker already hurt entering the game, cornerback Cobie Durant ruled out during the contest, and safety PJ Locke also leaving with an injury. Linebacker Dee Winters and Barham both missed time as well, though they returned.

A reminder about CeeDee Lamb

I also owe Lamb an apology. One of my predictions for the year was that George Pickens would lead the Cowboys in receiving yards. We spoke so highly about Pickens for so long that I think we kind of forgot about CeeDee. We never knocked him, but Lamb is reminding us just how elite he can be. There were moments Sunday where you just knew the ball was going to No. 88, and the Commanders still could not stop him.

I don’t think Washington was trying to insult Lamb. But if he wants to be insulted by it, let him. It clearly lights a fire under him, and hopefully that keeps translating into the Cowboys’ identity being this offense. They’ve got to take it personally whenever they can, and Sunday proved that mentality works.