After pitching a shutout against the Washington Commanders, the Minnesota Vikings will have a more formidable challenge against the Dallas Cowboys‘ offense, more specifically, defending against CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.
Pickens has 78 catches for 1,179 yards and has scored eight touchdowns in 13 games this season. Meanwhile, Lamb has had 57 catches for 865 yards and has scored three touchdowns in 10 games this season.
As a result, the Vikings’ secondary will have its work cut out for it as it looks to contain this tandem. On December 9, Vikings coordinator Brian Flores, who was on the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ coaching staff when Pickens was a rookie, shared his thoughts on facing this duo.
“This is probably one of the best, if not the best, receiver tandems in the league with George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb,” Flores told reporters. “That was with George in Pittsburgh. When you want to talk about a guy who makes incredible catches every day in practice, that’s George Pickens. That’s what I watched in Pittsburgh for an entire year as a rookie.
“He’s grown and gotten better, and based on what I saw when I was in Pittsburgh, I’m not surprised by the year he’s having at all. And CeeDee’s probably sitting there going, ‘Why isn’t he talking about me?’ He’s fantastic too. They have one of the best tandems in football, and Dak does a great job of getting these guys the ball.”
George Pickens Will Look to Bounce Back Against Vikings
Going into the contest against the Vikings, Pickens will be looking for a bounce-back performance. Pickens struggled in Week 14 against the Detroit Lions, catching just five of nine targets for 37 yards, marking his lowest output of the season.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said on December 8 that he had recently spoken with Pickens about a range of issues, including his performance in the 44-30 loss to Detroit.
“We talked a little about it,“ Schottenheimer said (h/t The Athletic). “In his words, he goes, ‘Hey, Schotty, I didn’t play my best game.‘ Unfortunately, none of us played our best game. That’s real. But I don’t worry about George and his love for football and playing this game.”
Jerry Jones Doesn’t Expect George Pickens to Have a Bad Game
On the morning of December 9, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told The Fan that he had no concerns about Pickens’ effort when asked about him again.
“One of the things that you got to appreciate about George Pickens is his intensity for the competition,“ Jones said (h/t The Athletic). “Now, he is a big-time competitor. When it comes to competing and when it comes to loving the game, I emphasize that point right there, loving the game, then I give him A-pluses.
“I like what George Pickens has done all year. … Just so that I’m real clear about it, I don’t have the concern that (others) debate about what George Pickens did or didn’t do in that game. I don’t have that kind of concern about him as far as his competing and helping us win football games on the field, at all.”
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