As Thanksgiving dinners settled and fans across the country sank into their couches for the evening slate, George Pickens gave everyone a reason to sit up and take notice. With the Cowboys trailing the Chiefs 21-20 in the fourth quarter and facing a critical third-and-8 just beyond midfield, Pickens delivered a moment that had the entire stadium-and probably a few living rooms-on their feet.
SPIN MOVE. HURDLE. GEORGE PICKENS IS RIDICULOUS
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The play started off looking routine. Pickens caught the ball short of the first-down marker, but what happened next was anything but.
He planted hard, pivoted into open space, and made one defender miss with a smooth juke. Then came Chiefs corner Trent McDuffie, closing in fast.
Pickens tried the hurdle 😅
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Instead of trying to shake him with another move or angle toward the sideline, Pickens chose flight over fight-literally.
With McDuffie bearing down, Pickens launched himself into the air in a bold attempt to hurdle the defender. He nearly cleared him, too.
Replays showed McDuffie managed to get just enough of him to knock him off balance, sending Pickens sprawling to the turf about seven yards shy of the end zone. It wasn’t a touchdown, but it was the kind of effort that turns heads and gets clipped into highlight reels before the cleats are even unlaced.
Had he stuck the landing and made it to the end zone, we might be talking about that leap as one of the all-time great Thanksgiving Day plays-right up there with Leon Lett’s infamous fumble or Randy Moss torching the Cowboys in ’98. Still, even without the score, it was a jaw-dropping effort that set the tone for what followed.
A few plays later, the Cowboys did cash in, finishing the drive with a touchdown. On the two-point conversion attempt, Pickens got his redemption, slipping into the end zone to give Dallas the lead.
And that was the difference. The Cowboys held on for the win, improving to 6-5-1 on the season and keeping themselves firmly in the playoff mix.
Pickens in the corner of the end zone for the two-point conversion!
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It wasn’t just a big win-it was a statement. The kind of gritty, late-game performance that can galvanize a team heading into the final stretch.
Tony Romo, calling the game from the booth, didn’t hold back-he thinks this team could run the table. And while that’s a tall order in a crowded NFC, moments like Pickens’ leap are exactly the kind of spark that can fuel a late-season surge.
The Cowboys are far from perfect, but they showed something on Thanksgiving: resilience, playmaking, and a little bit of flair. And as the postseason picture starts to take shape, that might be just enough to keep them in the conversation.
