The Dallas Cowboys lost to the Detroit Lions, and it was not a great night for George Pickens. The wide receiver, who joined the team in 2025, had one of his worst performances in Dallas and disappointed many of the fans on Thursday.
Pickens had 9 targets during the game, but he finished with just 5 receptions for 37 yards. He was also responsible for multiple penalties that did not help the Cowboys, and he was harshly criticized for a perceived lack of effort during the game. Even quarterback Dak Prescott seemed to be upset with him at a late point of the game.
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George Pickens Criticized By Analysts After TNF’s Performance Against Lions
Pickens, who’s in the final year of his rookie deal, was criticized not only for his numbers, but also for his effort. Some of the analysts said that he remembered the same disinterested player from some of his days with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Skip Bayless was one of those who made the comparison. He noted how Pickens seems to be inconsistent with his effort and how this hurts the team, saying, “Pickens keeps turning back into Pittsburgh Pick – taking plays off, making big catches, fighting for yards, then not fighting to make catches.”
Pickens keeps turning back into Pittsburgh Pick – taking plays off, making big catches, fighting for yards, then not fighting to make catches.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) December 5, 2025
Cowboys reporter Todd Archer also noted how individual mistakes killed the Cowboys’ chances on Thursday, saying “George Pickens with a facemask penalty, wiped out a catch. Cowboys with just too many mistakes.”
Warren Sharp, an analyst whose focus is on the analytics of the game, made the same comparison with Pickens’ effort in his previous team, writing “the Steelers version of Pickens has arrived” with a video of Prescott screaming at the receiver:
the Steelers version of Pickens has arrived pic.twitter.com/fj7KhKqi8o
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) December 5, 2025
Fans were also disappointed to see how the receiver played against the Lions. One user said “George Pickens is showing exactly why the Steelers got rid of him. He gives no effort when things don’t go his way” midway through the game, as the Lions started to run up the score:
George Pickens is showing exactly why the Steelers got rid of him. He gives no effort when things don’t go his way.
— CoachBets (@coachbets75) December 5, 2025
But the most common sentiment came from regular fans who were watching the game in real-time. This one summed up the feelings about the receiver in a four-word sentence, writing “George Pickens irritating me”:
George Pickens irritating me
— D.🐝 (@_xdbankss) December 5, 2025
Pickens joined the team via trade during the offseason, but the two sides are still discussing a contract extension.
He has been an important cog for the Cowboys’ offense in 2025. After Thursday’s game, he now has 1,181 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns during the season. His excellent performances have been noted by our PFSN WR Impact Metric, which ranks him as the No. 3 wide receiver in 2025.
