Three Dallas Cowboys players found themselves on the All-Pro list released yesterday afternoon. Zack Martin and Micah Parsons made the first team, while CeeDee Lamb landed on the second team.
Outside of Dak Prescott, these guys could be the most important players that need to step up Monday.
We know Martin will be a future Hall of Famer — he needs to protect the heck out of Prescott on Monday night — but Parsons and Lamb are two guys who need to have an even better day.
Per @RobMaaddi, here is the AP All-Pro first- and second-teams: pic.twitter.com/fcLSuyLOHc
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 13, 2023
This game is a massive spot for these guys. For Parsons, it can help prove why he has a chance to be one of the all-time greats. Martin does this year in and year out, and the one thing he is missing is a RING.
Martin has been a first-team All-Pro six times and has been on the All-pro team every year of his career except 2020.
Lamb being on the second team is phenomenal. After all the questions this off-season surrounding him and his value and whether he could be a No. 1 type of guy. Well, he has proven he can and even more.
Lamb finished the regular season with 107 receptions and 1,359 yards; both are career highs.
His numbers are also in the franchise's top five single seasons for a receiver. His nine touchdowns were also his most as a Cowboy.
“I couldn't stop smiling at the text messages, it's crazy,” said Lamb after receiving the news on Friday. “The road to get here was a bit bumpy, but I enjoyed every bit of it. As a player, that adds to your confidence, but you understand you have more that you have to prove.”
Parsons needs to make a game-changing type of play at some point on Monday night, and Lamb will need another 100-yard performance for the offense to show up. Parsons and Lamb are the Cowboys' future, so they both have plenty to prove in a Monday Night Football playoff game.
They could help the Cowboys turn the corner.
I keep saying I want a big game out of these two, but let's think about it for a moment. Both can impact this game, and their presence could open up opportunities for others. Parsons creates so much attention that guys like DeMarcus Lawrence, Osa Odighizuwa, and Sam Williams can make a play. Watch the tape, and you'll see.
Often players are judged by their most recent game, and if the Cowboys come out with another dud, Parsons, Lamb, and others will be the talk all off-season.
Lamb did not show up last year against the 49ers, so it would be great if he made himself known early and often this week.
Nobody on the Buccaneers' defense will worry about a wide receiver making a play other than Lamb. This is the perfect chance for Lamb to show why he made the second-team All-Pro.
We know what we will get from Martin, but Parsons and Lamb, it is their turn to show why they were voted onto a list of the best players in the NFL.
