Cowboys' Dak Prescott may have found his new No. 1 wide receiver during tie on 'Sunday Night Football'

ARLINGTON, Texas -- It's hard to figure out how to feel for both the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers following their 40-40 tie on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 4. 

However, one thing Dallas can take out of this game is that their offense will be just fine even with without All-Pro No. 1 wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (out with an ankle sprain), because they have George Pickens. Pickens, the 24-year-old 2022 second-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers who the Cowboys acquired via trade this past offseason, shined brightly despite a slow start. After catching his first pass for a gain of 14 yards with 5:50 remaining in the first half, Pickens erupted, hauling 8 of his 11 targets for 134 yards receiving (the second-most in a game in his career) and a career-high two receiving touchdowns. 

"With CeeDee being out, they're definitely looking at me to move the ball, and it can come whenever it comes," Pickens said. "So like you said, I wasn't getting the ball at first. I got the go ball and caught the ball. After that, it was just rolling."

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He set up Dallas' first touchdown of the night, a 2-yard quarterback draw by Dak Prescott with 41 seconds left in the first half, with a jaw-dropping catch in double coverage over Packers cornerback Nate Hobbs and safety Evan Williams. That helped the Cowboys' offense really launch itself to the high level of operation from the second half and into overtime. 

"I think it was, the guy was [in] press, it was man [coverage]. The ball just hung up to let the safety come over in time, and I feel like just making a great catch. Like I said earlier in the week, trying to make plays for Dak with CeeDee out," Pickens said postgame. "Yeah, I feel like it's [the throw] a lot of trust, and I feel like what I control as me as a playmaker, that's going to make him trust me more."

"They didn't have an answer for him," Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. "And that's rare for that defense. ... But when he's 1-on-1 or even when it's 2-on-1, he's got the ability to catch the ball and make plays in space."

Following a strip sack of Packers quarterback Jordan Love on the next possession, Pickens found the end zone on a seam route in the middle of the field -- a sweet spot for Prescott. 

"He made plays all night," Prescott said postgame. "No surprises honestly. He played the game I expected him to play. He did it all training camp, and he's been doing it his entire career. ... He showed up here and he's not missed a beat. He's getting older through experience and more mature. That trust only grows more and the chemistry is just going to expedite the whole process and he's a hell of a player."

The Prescott to Pickens connection also flashed in one of the biggest moments of the night in the fourth quarter. Green Bay led Dallas 34-30 with just under 50 seconds remaining in regulation when Prescott hit Pickens on an underneath route. The explosive wideout then pivoted back to ward the middle of the field, which sent Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine flying out of the picture, en route to a 28-yard receiving touchdown that gave Dallas a 37-35 lead with 43 seconds left. 

"I would just say getting my route up and then run after catch. Especially knowing the situation too: knowing the DB is going to overcommit," Pickens said when breaking down how he scored late in the fourth quarter. "It's the end of the game, and you're trying to score."

There's plenty to fuss about regarding the Cowboys amid their 1-2-1 start to the 2025 season: Dallas is allowing 33 points per game, the second-most in the league, in large part because of an anemic pass rush. The Cowboys' 29.4% quarterback pressure rate ranks as the sixth-worst in the NFL following Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones trading All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons to Green Bay a week before the season started.

Pickens and his ability to toggle between being complementary to Lamb or completely handling WR1 responsibilities could end up keeping Dallas in the hunt to return to the postseason for the first time since 2023, a major win for Jones on a night in which neither team emerged truly victorious on the scoreboard.  

"I liked the way Pickens stepped in there, and we didn't have Lamb on the field," Jones said postgame. "I think Pickens has got the kind of talent he exhibited out there tonight, and I know that the kind of confidence that I have got in him. He's worked hard."

"I would probably say just being a great receiver, just no matter where I go or where I land," Pickens said of his personal narrative after Week 4. "Me, myself, George Pickens is a great receiver, so I feel like that's what I showed people."