The Dallas Cowboys walked into the Detroit Lions expecting a test. They left with a 44–30 beating and a lot more questions than answers. A high-powered offense that has bailed them out all year suddenly sputtered, and frustrations spilled out immediately after the final whistle.
No one embodied that frustration more than star receiver George Pickens. The star wideout wasn’t shy about what he saw, or didn’t see, from Dallas’ offense. And he wasn’t sugar-coating the Lions’ defensive plan against him, either.
Cowboys WR George Pickens sounded off after the loss, pointing directly at Detroit’s coverage choices and a handful of missed opportunities that stalled Dallas’ rhythm.
Speaking in the locker room, Pickens said the Lions committed to jumping inside routes all afternoon. “They were sitting on the slant. I still caught a slant contest. They said it was PI on me. Caught a slant later in the game. Two of those slants just didn’t go our way, whether it was the call or play. A lot of stuff just didn’t go our way.” Per NFL reporter Nick Harris and Jane Slater.
Pickens was visibly irritated, especially with the offensive timing issues that kept Dallas from finding any consistent flow. The Cowboys leaned heavily on quick-game concepts to neutralize Detroit’s pass rush, but when those slants and in-breakers got swallowed up, the entire plan collapsed. Pickens caught only 5 out of 9 throws for 37 yards. These are some modest yardage by Pickens in the past few games.
During the game, Pickens drew a huge pass interference penalty on a slant route just before halftime that would’ve put the Cowboys in threatening field position. That was bad. I have never seen a call like that,” Dak Prescott said after the interference call on George Pickens.
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However, that momentum-shifting play failed to result in points. A teammate, Jake Ferguson, was flagged for illegal hands to the face, which nullified Pickens’ pass interference and wiped out the drive.
Later in the game, the Cowboys were hit by another penalty, this time offensive pass interference against Ferguson, in a critical fourth-quarter drive that might have produced a touchdown.
Some sources suggest the calls were controversial. Notably, one summary argued that the offensive PI on Ferguson should not have been flagged, as replays indicated the defender initiated the contact.
Brian Schottenheimer‘s Cowboys didn’t just lose a game. They lost their rhythm and margin for error. With Pickens frustrated and officiating adding fuel, Dallas left Detroit searching for answers. If this offense can’t adapt fast, the spiraling trends on display tonight will define the rest of their season.
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