ARLINGTON, Texas — George Pickens answered a major question after doing what he did for the Dallas Cowboys in their eventual tie with the Green Bay Packers in Week 4. On a primetime stage, and without All-Pro record-setting wide receiver CeeDee Lamb on the field, Pickens helped Dak Presscott put on a show for a global audience that stopped just shy of curtain call.
Tie games stink, and everyone except the league's front office knows it.
OK, having now stated the obvious, it's also true that the Cowboys leave with nothing short of a blowout loss if not for what Prescott and Pickens were able to do — the latter headlining a round of great play from the receiving group as a whole.
"Yeah, I'd probably say just more [opportunities], definitely, for everybody," said Pickens. "[Tolbert], Turp — I feel like we all executed well, too."
Pickens ended the night with 134 receiving yards, the second-highest mark of his career, along with two touchdowns in the most critical junctures of the contest, to end the first half and to take a 37-34 lead with less than one minute remaining in the second half.
And then there's the insanity and outright trust required for Prescott to drop back and throw a dot deep down the left sideline to Pickens in double coverage, confident he'd make the catch, and he did, because of course.
"The guy, that's what he's done," Prescott said of Pickens. "When I say look at his film and look at his resume — whether it's just been in the months that he's been here or the time he's had in Pittsburgh — that's what he does, that's who he is, and that's what allows that chemistry to grow, is when I get a guy who I've seen on film make play after play, and then he shows up here … Yeah, I mean no surprises, honestly. Super proud of him.
"He played just as I expected him to play, and what I was most impressed about is just the way that he was focused and locked in on the game, the whole game, and not only just locked in, but doing everything that he needed to do, and doing it right."
The All-Pro quarterback went on to echo a statement made recently by fellow All-Pro Tyler Smith, in that Pickens keeps this same energy inside the huddle as well, where fans don't see.
"The conversations he's having in the huddle, uplifting other guys, saying the right things to keep guys focused, and keeping guys standing the moment and being present," Prescott said. "And not only was he saying it, but he was doing it himself, and being an example; and made play after play, too — big play after big play to give us a chance."
That he most certainly did, and narratives of Pickens that pre-existed his trade to the Cowboys have all but melted away, justifiably, and his trajectory is pointed due north with Prescott at the helm and Brian Schottenheimer as playcaller.
"You know, just making a great catch," he said of the highlight grab in double coverage. "Like I said earlier in the week, it's about trying to make plays with CeeDee out."
Chemistry and trust with Prescott? Check.
Trust and chemistry with the entire locker room and coaching staff? Check.
"Yeah, I feel like it's a lot of trust," said Pickens. "And I feel like what I can control as a playmaker, that's gonna make him trust me more."
