Bulldogs in the NFL: George Pickens stars in Dallas’ win over Las Vegas
George Pickens and Brock Bowers, two of the most exciting and physical pass catchers in Georgia football history, were on display for “Monday Night Football.”
Pickens’ Dallas Cowboys won the battle over Bowers’ Las Vegas Raiders 33-16, with both former UGA stars shining bright.
Pickens had a team-high nine catches for 144 yards and a touchdown and now ranks second in the NFL with 908 yards on his 58 catches in 10 games.
“It’s a credit to the guys. I can only do what they can, (and) I feel like when we execute, those kinds of games can happen for me,” said Pickens, who was traded to Dallas, along with a 2027 sixth-round pick, from Pittsburgh last May for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
“As far as me, running the ball hard was one thing I was emphasizing, the run after the catch.”
Pickens gained 72 of his 144 yards receiving after making the catches.
Pickens, known for his spectacular catches and physical play at Georgia, sounded a lot like his former coach when asked the key for the Cowboys’ victory.
“Execution is really the biggest thing in this league,” Pickens said. “You go out and execute, you do your job right, and do it full speed, you’ve got a great chance to beat a lot of teams.”
Bowers, who missed three games this season after suffering a PCL injury and bone bruise in his left knee, had a team-high seven catches for 72 yards.
Bowers did his best to stay positive after the game, even as Las Vegas’ 2-8 record is wearing on him — he only lost two games in his three-year career at Georgia.
“We just got to stay together and keep fighting. I mean, we have dudes in here that can play good football, and I feel like sometimes it’s not reflected on the field,” Bowers said. “So, we just need to stick together and just keep going.
“I think coach (Pete) Carroll’s done a really good job, and just all of the coaching staff has done a good job of keeping everyone together and keeping everyone on the right track. So, everyone is still confident in the game plan moving forward.”
Bowers ranks ninth among NFL tight ends with 455 yards receiving, even with the three games missed due to injury, as he’s second only to Trey McBride in target share (24.4%) on his team.
Eric Stokes started at cornerback for the Raiders and had three tackles and a pass deflection.
• Darnell Washington was another former Georgia tight end who had a strong performance, recording a career-high 67 yards on four catches for Pittsburgh, including a highlight-friendly, 31-yard catch-and-run through the Cincinnati defense in a 34-12 win.
Former Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones started for the Steelers and played all 65 offensive snaps.
There were Bulldogs on the Bengals’ offensive line as well, with Dylan Fairchild starting at offensive guard and Amarius Mims starting at offensive tackle.
Former Georgia running back Kendall Milton had two carries for 2 yards for Cincinnati.
• D’Andre Swift helped keep the Chicago Bears rolling, rushing for 90 yards on 21 attempts in a 19-17 win over Minnesota.
Ty Ingram-Dawkins had two tackles and a tackle for loss for the Vikings.
• The “Philly Dawgs” were on display for the Eagles in their 16-9 victory in Detroit.
Jalen Carter had three tackles and a pass deflection, Jordan Davis had a tackle and three pass deflections, Nolan Smith had a tackle, Nakobe Dean record his second sack in the past two games and Smael Mondon appeared on special teams.
Tate Ratledge was the only Detroit offensive lineman to play all 52 snaps.
• Matthew Stafford continued his run at NFL MVP honors with the Los Angeles Rams, leading his team to a 21-19 win over Seattle by completing 15 of 28 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
Stafford leads the NFL with 27 passing touchdowns and is fourth in the league with 2,557 passing yards.
• Travon Walker was a force for Jacksonville in its 35-6 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, recording four tackles, a half-sack and two QB pressures on his 31 snaps.
Ladd McConkey had three catches for 13 yards for the Chargers.
• Kamari Lassiter helped keep the Tennessee Titans’ pass game locked down in Houston’s 16-13 win, playing all 59 snaps at cornerback and making two tackles.
Nick Chubb had three carries for 17 yards for the Texans in the win.
• Former Georgia players were a force for Green Bay in its 27-20 win over the New York Giants.
Quay Walker had seven tackles for the Packers from his linebacker position, Javon Bullard had three tackles and a pass deflection, Devonte Wyatt had three tackles, Nazir Stackhouse had three QB pressures and Warren Brinson recorded a tackle.
Former UGA tight end John FitzPatrick had a catch for 5 yards on his 35 snaps for Green Bay.
Former first-round pick Andrew Thomas played all 72 snaps at his offensive tackle position for New York.
• Mecole Hardman didn’t take long to add some juice to the Buffalo offense, returning a kick 61 yards in a 44-32 win over Tampa Bay after signing with the Bills earlier in the week.
James Cook had 16 carries for 48 yards and caught three passes for 66 yards and a touchdown.
Tykee Smith had five tackles and two pass deflections for the Bucs.
• Roquan Smith had four tackles to help lead Baltimore to a 23-16 win over Cleveland, while rookie safety Malaki Starks had two tackles and a QB pressure. Nick Moore, the Ravens’ long snapper, had 11 snaps in the game.
Tyson Campbell played 55 snaps at cornerback for the Browns, recording two tackles.
• Jalon Walker continues to push for NFL defensive rookie honors, appearing on 51 snaps for Atlanta and making four tackles with a QB pressure in the Falcons’ 30-27 loss to Carolina.
Trevor Etienne had a 9-yard punt return and a 26-yard kick return for the Panthers.
About the Author
Mike is in his eighth season covering SEC and Georgia athletics for AJC-DawgNation and has 30 years of collegiate sports multimedia experience, 25 of them in the SEC including beat writer stops at Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee and now Georgia. Mike was named the National FWAA Beat Writer of the Year in January, 2018.
