After witnessing DK Metcalf fall apart in the Pittsburgh Steelers' season opener against the Atlanta Falcons, the last thing Steelers fans wanted to see was George Pickens explode with a monstrous performance for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.
Pickens was traded to Dallas last May and proceeded to a 1,400-yard, nine-touchdown season in his first year with the Cowboys. Thankfully, his 2026 season debut had us feeling a little bit better about the Steelers' decision to send him packing in a trade.
On Sunday Night Football against the New York Giants, Pickens had a catastrophic outing that included a pair of drops, and his body language couldn't hide his frustration.
George Pickens had a pair of critical drops in the Cowboys' SNF game against the Giants
Pickens' first big drop came with 2:12 remaining in the first quarter. Quarterback Dak Prescott threw a deep in-breaking route across the middle of the field. Pickens was wide open, and the ball hit him right in the breadbasket, but the football fell to the turf. This would have been at least a 20-yard completion, and Pickens was so open that he may have had space to get up and run after the catch.
His second critical drop came with 1:25 remaining in the first half. Prescott dropped a dime deep down the right sideline that fell perfectly between the numbers for Pickens, but the wide receiver failed to haul it in. This ball traveled over 30 yards through the air and would have created an explosive play that could have potentially gone for a score.
These plays could have kept drives moving and aided the Cowboys in scoring more points. At the time of his second drop, the Cowboys and Giants were tied 7-7. But it was all downhill from there.
The Cowboys lost 28-20, but the Giants controlled the second half. By the end of the contest, Pickens finished with just 28 receiving yards on six targets (4.6 yards per target).
Steelers fans caught a reminder of George Pickens' shortcomings in his Week 1 game on SNF
There will be times this year when Pickens has us questioning everything about Steelers general manager Omar Khan. Last season, the talented wideout played at a borderline All-Pro level and had several spectacular performances.
It's safe to say that Week 1 against the Giants was not one of them.
Because of the two first-half drops, Pickens got flustered early. And, like Steelers fans were so used to, the young receiver let it get to his head. Pickens' body language against the Giants spoke volumes, and oftentimes, when he gets in a funk during a given game, there's no return.
Pickens' inability to make plays from there didn't help his quarterback. Prescott finished the game with 22 completions on 34 attempts for a mere 175 yards (5.1 yards per attempt) and an 84.8 passer rating. However, there was a ton of yardage (a minimum of 50) left on the table thanks to Pickens' costly errors.
This performance had me thinking about Pickens' final regular-season game in Pittsburgh. With playoff seeding on the line against the Bengals on January 4, 2025, Pickens essentially quit on his team—catching just one pass on six targets for zero yards.
Cowboys fans can be thankful that their dynamic receiver hasn't reached the lows as he did late in his Steelers career, but Sunday Night Football was a reminder that George Pickens can completely malfunction in embarrassing fashion with all eyes watching.
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