The Dallas Cowboys got the ball first during their Week 11 "Monday Night Football" game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Conspicuously absent from Dallas' lineup were the team's top two receivers, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.

The Cowboys ran their first three plays without Lamb and Pickens on the field. Instead, the triumvirate of Ryan Flournoy, Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin played at receiver, even when Dallas faced a third down to open the game.

Why weren't Lamb and Pickens on the field to open the game? ESPN's Lisa Salters got an answer from the Cowboys PR staff, which she shared on ESPN's "Monday Night Football" broadcast.

"It was not an injury-related situation," Salters said. "It was strictly a coach's decision."

Salters revealed she pressed whether the absence of the two top receivers was "punishment of some sort." The PR staff told her she would "have to address that with coach [Brian Schottenheimer]."

Schottenheimer didn't provide specifics about what led to his decision to briefly bench the duo when asked about it after the game.

"Made a coach's decision," Schottenheimer said, per 105.3 The Fan. "There were some things that were missed."

Lamb was also asked about the benching. His response?

"I'm not going into that," Lamb said, per NFL Media. "I'm sorry."

Both Lamb and Pickens returned to the field for Dallas' second drive. Lamb was first to take the field, serving as the lone wide-out on a Javonte Williams run, while Pickens came onto the field just a play later.

The duo ended up performing well, as Pickens led the team with nine catches and 144 receiving yards while logging a touchdown, while Lamb logged five catches for 66 yards and a score in Dallas' 33-16 win.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens missed first drive on 'MNF' vs Raiders in Week 11

Reporting by Jacob Camenker, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect