Ahead of Sunday’s Philadelphia Eagles–Dallas Cowboys game, Tom Brady asked Dak Prescott which one of his standout wide receivers he’d most likely throw the ball to if they were each lined up out wide and in single coverage.
“Tommy, it depends what kind of route,” Prescott replied, according to Brady. “If it’s a slant, I’m throwing to GP (George Pickens).”
With Sunday’s game hanging in the balance, Prescott did just that. He hit Pickens in stride as the wide receiver ran a slant, picking up 24 yards to help the Cowboys move to the Eagles’ 22-yard line with 35 seconds left. A few plays later, Brandon Aubrey kicked a game-winning 42-yard field goal that gave the Cowboys a 24-21 win after trailing 21-0 in the second quarter.
“We ran a little concept called slant and we really didn’t expect the coverage [they played on that play],” Pickens told Brady of his grab that set the Cowboys up for the game-winning kick. “They had been playing two all night. They played man right there. A guy fell and I tried to get into the box ane end the game. But shoutout to Brandon Aubrey.”
Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game: Cowboys WR George Pickens 🏆 Week 12 DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
Pickens was a major reason why the Cowboys were able to complete the comeback, which tied the record for the largest comeback win in franchise history. He had nine receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown – helping Prescott throw for 354 yards in the victory – and winning him LFG Player of the Game.
The grab Pickens made that helped seal the victory was matched by the second-most impressive grab he made in the game. Earlier in the fourth quarter, Pickens made a leaping grab on a deep ball over Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean for a 43-yard gain. Brady remarked that Pickens had made a “Randy Moss-ish” sort of reception on that play.
Two plays after that catch from Pickens, Prescott ran and flipped into the end zone to help the Cowboys tie the game, completely flipping the script on the Eagles after looking listless for the first 20-plus minutes of the game.
“Just preaching to the guys, execution, execution, execution,” Pickens said on what the message was when the Cowboys fell into a 21-0 deficit. “We kinda knew that one word can change a lot for us. We shot ourselves in the foot early. But as long as we were able to execute when it mattered the most, that’s when we came through.”
One of the self-inflicted mistakes the Cowboys made came in the second quarter, when Prescott threw an ill-advised pass in a tight window to receiver CeeDee Lamb that was picked off by Eagles safety Reed Blankenship. Even when Dallas was in the midst of its comeback, it made some unforced errors as well. Aubrey missed just his second kick of the season (his first from within 60 yards). The Cowboys also went for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line in the final minutes despite the score being tied, coming up empty.
But the Cowboys were able to force the defending champs to make even more critical mistakes than they did. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley lost a fumble in the fourth quarter, and returner Xavier Gipson lost a fumble later in the frame on a punt return for the Eagles. Needing a stop in the final minutes, defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa sacked Jalen Hurts to force a punt.
Suddenly, the Cowboys’ defense that was holding the team back now looks formidable after giving up zero points in the final 40 minutes against the defending champs. At 5-5-1, Dallas still has an uphill battle to climb to make the playoffs, but dreams of the postseason seem a lot more feasible following Sunday’s win.
“It’s exactly where we want to be,” Pickens told Brady. “Probably me, personally, just telling the guys don’t get too, too low. Just keep executing because that’s probably going to be the thing that mostly gets us wins.”
Brandon Aubrey sinks 42-yard FG to complete Cowboys’ EPIC comeback win against Eagles | NFL Highlights
Sunday was the Cowboys’ first home game since defensive end Marshawn Kneeland passed away earlier in November.
“When Marshawn passed away, it really brought everybody closer — the brotherhood,” Pickens said. “This is a game we play all the time, but there’s real life still happening. So, that component and aspect of life kind of snuck into the team, and we’ve been executing on another level.”
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