George Pickens may not have a big stat line yet, but the Dallas Cowboys believe his presence is already helping their offense. With Baltimore’s defense waiting in Brazil, getting Pickens and CeeDee Lamb involved could be an important part of Dallas’ plan.

Through two games, Pickens has nine catches for 68 yards. He had a few unusual drops against the Giants in Week 1, while Lamb exploded for 153 yards and two touchdowns against Washington. Pickens, however, isn't concerned about his own numbers.

“Of course I want to get him and CeeDee the ball,” Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “I think CeeDee is playing great, I think George is playing really well.”

Pickens has also noticed how defenses are treating him. Opposing coordinators have been sending extra attention his way, including safety help, and that can give Lamb more room to work. Lamb took advantage of that against Washington with his 153-yard performance.

“That’s like a 40, 50-yard gain just off of two guys watching me,” George Pickens said, according to the Dallas Cowboys official website. “I think we scored that same drive.”

He is also comfortable doing the dirty work when needed. If blocking helps the Cowboys put points on the board, Pickens has no problem with it.

“Long as we score, and as long as we’re winning, me personally, if I’m blocking or if I’m setting a crack block and that engineered the 37 points, I’m happy,” Pickens added.

Schottenheimer also pointed to Pickens’ start last season, when his production picked up after a couple of games.

Now the Cowboys are taking that mindset to Brazil. Dallas will leave for Rio de Janeiro on Thursday night and has repeatedly described the trip as a business trip. Players are expected to remain around the team hotel apart from practices and walk-throughs.

“It should be a kind of a want to from the guys, you know what I mean? Stay locked in and get the mission done,” Pickens said.

For Dallas, that means staying focused on Baltimore while continuing to find ways to get both Pickens and Lamb involved.

Pickens is willing to do his part even when the numbers aren't there. Lamb, meanwhile, wants the entire offense to keep that same level of effort going throughout the game.

CeeDee Lamb sends a message to Cowboys offense before Week 3

Dallas scored 37 points against the Washington Commanders after a rough opening week against the New York Giants.

The Cowboys started fast in Week 2, scoring a touchdown, a field goal and another touchdown on their first three drives. But things slowed down after that.

“We got to find a way to have that energy and that stamina,” CeeDee Lamb said, according to Round Table Sports. “I feel like towards the middle of the second quarter, early third quarter, we kind of tapered off a little bit, and then we found our groove again.”

The receiver wants Dallas to play with that same energy from start to finish.

“The best teams, they played throughout the whole game, and I feel like we got to do that if we consider ourselves the best,” Lamb added.

With Baltimore next in Brazil, Lamb’s message is clear: Dallas needs to keep its offense going for all four quarters.

Written by

Debanjali Rakshit