Sunday’s 24-21 win was a big one for Cowboys star receiver George Pickens, who backed up a strong showing in Week 11 against a low-rest Raiders team with an equally strong showing against the defending Super Bowl champs, the Eagles. Pickens went for 146 yards on nine catches, adding a touchdown on the day and cracking the 1,000-yard receiving mark just 11 games into the season. He also came away with a pair of injuries, though, and did not practice on Monday.
It was also the first time this season Pickens had back-to-back 100-yard games, and the first time since late in the 2023 season when he was playing for Pittsburgh. The nine catches he had ties a high for his four-year career, one he has accomplished twice before–in that Week 11 game against the Raiders and back in Week 6 against Carolina.
Pickens is not surprised by the way he’s been playing. “Just grinding,” he told the Cowboys postgame show on Sunday. “This is kind of always what I am capable of. I used to have 100 games all the time, especially in college. So as a team, just keep going because I also seen the downs of it as well. So keep it going, get as many wins as we can. ”
Cowboys, George Pickens Are a ‘Little Beat Up’
Back at The Star, Pickens sat out on Monday in a light practice as the Cowboys prepare for their Thursday matchup against the Chiefs on Thanksgiving. He was not alone on that, as fellow receiver KaVontae Turpin also sat out. Defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa and offensive lineman Tyler Guyton also sat out.
Speaking after the practice, though, coach Brian Schottenheimer said he expects Pickens, who has a sore knee and calf, to play on Thursday. Guyton is the only active Cowboys starter slated to miss the Chiefs.
“We’re beat up a little bit,” Schottenheimer said. “I think I want to get them moving around a little tomorrow. But I think other than Tyler, he is the biggest question mark that we have right now. But I think everybody else—other than being very sore and banged up, it was a very physical game. When I watched the game I was really excited about how we attacked and our play style. Like, that’s what we want to have.”
George Pickens: ‘Use That Momentum’
Pickens said he was impressed with the way the Cowboys rallied at halftime. After falling behind, 21-0, the Cowboys notched a late first-half touchdown and used that to build some momentum in the second half.
“Guys were still just being resilient,” Pickens said. “We scored just before halftime, that was seven. So we knew we were only down two, even with some of the inconsistencies we had ourselves.”
Now, the momentum from the way the Eagles game ended can be used against last year’s other Super Bowl team, Kansas City.
“I feel like with a short week, you want to put up a full front, use the momentum that you have,” Pickens said. “KC also seen the game as well, everybody around the country did. So just use the momentum and bring that to the next game.”
Cowboys Playing With Pride
Though the Cowboys are 5-5-1 and still only sitting with a 20% chance at the playoffs, Schottenheimer said there is a new pride and new vibe within the team.
“I am proud of the assistants, I am proud of the players, I am proud of the fact that, the things we put up on the walls and in the meetings and the things we say, these guys truly believe. They echo those things,” Schottenheimer said. “And again, from the time I took this job, I have talked about culture, brotherhood, connection. You saw that on display yesterday.
“You can do that when you’re up 21-0 but it’s harder to do when you’re down 21-0 and people are concerned or you’re not playing your best football. When you have good players that believe in one another and believe in what they’re doing and, oh, by the way, most of those guys are elite football players, you’ve got a pretty good chance.”
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