George Pickens Ripped for 'Half-Assed' Effort by Richard Sherman After Cowboys-Lions

George Pickens has been one of the best receivers in the NFL this season, but Thursday's game against the Detroit Lions was a rough night for the Dallas Cowboys star.

After the Cowboys' 44-30 loss, Pickens was ripped into by Richard Sherman on the Prime Video postgame show for his "half-assed" effort and looking "uninterested" in playing late in the game.

Pickens caught five of his nine targets for just 37 yards against the Lions. It was his second-lowest yardage total in a game this season, ahead of only Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles (30).

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Beyond the box score stats, though, Pickens appeared to have moments when he wasn't fully engaged. One instance that stood out was in the fourth quarter right before the two-minute warning. He got behind two Lions defenders and Dak Prescott threw a pass that looked like it could have been caught.

Instead, the ball fell to the turf with Pickens seemingly not even trying to reach for a reception that was within arm's length.

One of the criticisms of Pickens throughout his tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers was inconsistent effort. For example, there was a situation during the 2023 season when he was called out for not blocking all the way through on a run when Jaylen Warren was tackled by the defender he was engaged with.

"I ain't want to get an injury. When you stay on the block too low, you can get ran up on very easily," Pickens told reporters.

Per ESPN's Todd Archer and Jeremy Fowler, one person with the Steelers explained that Pickens could be mercurial and difficult to figure out.

"When he was having a good day, he's really fun to be around. Funny, cracking jokes, huge smile," a Steelers source said. "When he wasn't having a good day, he didn't want to be bothered or coached. I could never put my finger on why."

The Cowboys needed Pickens to step up late in the game because CeeDee Lamb left in the third quarter due to a concussion.

Second-year wideout Ryan Flournoy wound up being the go-to target for Prescott with Lamb out. He caught nine passes for 115 yards and one touchdown.

Overall, Pickens has been a huge boost to Dallas' offense this season. He leads the team in receptions (78), yards (1,179) and touchdowns (eight), so there's no reason to panic about this being a long-term issue.

Unfortunately, Thursday's loss dropped the Cowboys' playoff odds down to six percent with a 6-6-1 record.