The Dallas Cowboys will enter their Week 2 game against the Commanders 0-1, and while there’s little use running down hypotheticals, it’s impossible not to recall the many chances the team had to turn the tables, even if only slighting, in a game that they lost, 28-20. Maybe no moment was bigger than the first-half play with just over a minute to go and star receiver George Pickens streaking down the sideline with a comfortable lead on New York Giants cornerback Greg Newsome. Dak Prescott laid a well-placed ball at Pickens’ hands and he just … dropped it.
The play would have given the Cowboys the ball with plenty of time in a 7-7 game well into Giants territory, with the possibility a field goal or more on the horizon. Instead, Prescott threw an ill-advised interception four plays later, and the Giants drove 55 yards in 29 seconds to score a touchdown and take a 14-7 lead.
It was frustrating not only because of the what unfolded after the drop, but because Pickens has mostly been outstanding this year since Cowboys training camp. Coach Brian Schottenheimer has praised Pickens’ focus in meetings and on the practice field, but when his first opportunity to make a game-changing play arose, he dropped it.
George Pickens Had Just 4 Drops in 2025
Pickens had two drops on the night, especially uncharacteristic for a player who had just four all of last season.
Schottenheimer was asked on Wednesday if he’d had words with Pickens about the drops.
The coach said, “I don’t say anything to George. George will be just fine. He usually catches that ball going down the sideline and probably pull through it and jump over and then spin and jump over people into the end zone. So, I don’t worry about George.”
Dak Prescott Has Confidence in Cowboys Stars
That was the theme of the night for the Cowboys, as the team’s other sure-handed pass-catcher, CeeDee Lamb, also logged a dropped pass. It was a mistake-packed game for Dallas, which looked like a rusty team. It called into question whether the Cowboys made a mistake by not playing any of their starters together during the preseason.
Prescott, who compounded Pickens’ big drop with his interception, said he is not worried about Pickens and Lamb–or about getting the offense humming again.
“It’ll get back to that (the offense clicking),” Prescott said in a press conference Sunday. “Those guys had some uncharacteristic drops. I know they were upset about them immediately. They came and made a comment about them and then moved on as they should. We’ll get back to it. A lot of confidence in those two guys.
“Not going to stop throwing it to them (or) shy away from them. Not going to get down on them. Their resume(s) and who they are speaks enough.”
Cowboys ‘Don’t Say Anything’ to George Pickens After Drops