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ARLINGTON, Texas -- It was one thing for new Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens to go off for 144 yards and a touchdown on nine catches in the team's Week 11 "Monday Night Football" victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.

It's another for Pickens to top that effort with 146 yards receiving and a touchdown with catches on all ninw of his targets to help power the Cowboys back from a franchise-record 21-0 hole to upset the defending Super Bowl LIX champion Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 like he did in Week 12. Of his total yards receiving, 133 came after the Eagles took the 21-0 early in the second quarter. 

"Well, I'll tell you George has been such an integral part of our story. He has his story to a degree, and that's our story. I'm so proud for him," Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said. "Everybody on this team is, and he certainly has absolutely been the difference as we've played over the last two weeks. … It's something when you've got 88 [CeeDee Lamb] and Pickens."

He is now up to 1,054 yards receiving (the second-most in the NFL), eight receiving touchdowns (the third-most in the NFL) on a career-high 67 catches (the eighth-most in the NFL). Pickens' 15.7 yards per catch rank as the fifth-most in the league, and his eight receiving touchdowns are tied for the second-most by a Cowboys player in his first 11 games with the franchise.

"Really just grinding. I just kind of always [knew] what I was capable of," Pickens said. "I used to have 100-yard games in college all the time. Just definitely, as a team, keep going because I've seen the downs of it as well. Just keep going and get as many wins as we can."

Not a bad value for the Cowboys with all they had to give up to get the 24-year-old in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers this past offseason being a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.

"We are proud we've got him. I don't know if anyone has helped his team any more to win this year," Jones said. "So the good times we've had, Pickens has had his hand in for the most part. … Of course, we are proud to have him, and I don't even want to play games with[out] him. We'd love to have him on the team. By the way, I'd love to have 88 on the team. I know what we're asking around here, but we like the way the combination is letting us execute on offense."

Quarterback Dak Prescott knew he was getting another No. 1-caliber wide receiver this season, but now the 10-year vet, who is now Dallas' all-time passing yards leader, views the peak for Pickens as "limitless."

"It's hard for me to say [he] exceeds my expectations. My expectations for him are limitless, and he'll tell you that he's not from here," Prescott said. ... "He's not from here, he's not from this planet and so, I'm not going to put limitations on him. He went out there and did what he's done in games when he has that opportunity,  in practice as well. The guy loves the game. He stays focused. Just the communication, as I've said before, to other guys  in the huddle about staying focused and keep doing what you're doing. We lucked out with getting a guy like that. We have to make sure that we can keep him here. He's a hell of a player turning into a leader, and he's special."

The electricity he provides for Dallas was especially apparent in the fourth quarter on Sunday. With Dallas trailing 21-14 and driving to try to tie the game, Prescott heaved a play-action deep shot from his own 46 up to Pickens despite two Eagles cornerbacks, Cooper DeJean and Sydney Brown draped around. Pickens made the catch to push Dallas all the way down to the 11. Two plays later, the game was tied at 21 with the Cowboys scoring on an 8-yard scramble from Prescott with 11:48 left to play. 

"Definitely the energy," Pickens said of what he feels after his explosive catches. "I'm an energy guy myself, so that's why you probably always see me do the crazy celebrations, get really hyped, because I know it's a big turning point. And I know defenses, when you've got the momentum or you make a splash play, that demoralizes them."  

Earlier this week, Lamb made it clear how much he and Dallas' teammates have gone out of their way to embrace Pickens, and he's feeling the love. That's perhaps one of the driving forces behind Pickens' All-Pro-caliber season in Year 1 as a Cowboy. 

"The guys I'm doing it with honestly. I feel like the guys I'm doing with it are some amazing guys: Dak, CeeDee [wide receiver Ryan] Flo [Flournoy]," Pickens said. "Even some guys on defense. Just the guys I'm doing it with."

Pickens' Dallas future

Jones was asked about Pickens' future as he finishes the last year of his rookie deal in 2025, and he signaled the Cowboys front office would continue to let things play out. That may come back to bite them come negotiation time in the spring because Pickens' production has him angling to be one of the highest-paid wide receivers in football. 

"We can let it come as well. It's something when you've got [Lamb] and Pickens," Jones said. ... "I don't just try to spend my day messing with agents as you well know. I'm proud he's having the season he is having. It exceeds anything we could have hoped for."