FRISCO – This snakebitten Dallas Cowboys season has seen nearly all of the stars go down with injury at some point.

The only one to this point that has not missed substantial time has been wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.

Lamb has proven the “iron man” through this turmoil and continued to produce without Dak Prescott in the lineup. He demonstrated a strong reminder in the Cowboys’ win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, reeling in nine catches for 166 yards and a touchdown.

That yardage total is his second highest of this season and his 1,089 yards for the season are third best among all wide receivers But the real intrigue Lamb lies in an unusual receptions record that he is chasing in the final three weeks.

Lamb has 489 receptions thus far over the course of his first five seasons – rather shocking stats given the injury absence of Dak.

With 22 more grabs, he will surpass former New Orleans Saints wideout Michael Thomas for the most receptions in a player’s first five years in the NFL.

He holds the record with 521. For him to clear that benchmark, he will need roughly seven receptions per game over the final three contests. Lamb has gotten that in three of the Cowboys’ last five games with one of the shortcomings ending with six receptions. Looking at the opponents for this challenge, Dallas will first face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week. Lamb has had mixed results against Todd Bowles’ defenses over the years, but the nature of their banged up secondary could play into his favor.

The Cowboys finish with the Eagles followed by the Commanders. In his first matchup with Philadelphia, Lamb had six catches. Against Washington, he had a busy day with 10 grabs on 12 targets.

Though Brandin Cooks and Jake Ferguson have returned to the lineup the last few weeks, the passing options for this offense are still considerably limited.

That means Lamb could be in line for a few more big productions to close the season. It would certainly be a marked accomplishment for a player who’s star continues to grow regardless which side he is on.

Come Week 18, a record-breaking performance could be a nice high note for Dallas to leave an otherwise abysmal season on.