The Dallas Cowboys have been rolling offensively in 2025. A huge reason for that, and it’s no surprise to anyone, is the play of quarterback Dak Prescott who is second in the NFL with 1,881 passing yards. Last week, he got his No. 1 option back in All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb who posted 110 yards on five receptions and a touchdown.
When the Cowboys travel to play the Denver Broncos this Sunday, Lamb will have a big challenge on his hands. He’ll be going up against the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain. So far this season, Surtain has two games in which he didn’t allow a reception. However, never one to backdown from competition, Lamb feels he and company are ready for the matchup.
We’re absolutely ready for the challenge. I don’t know if he’s going to follow (one of us), but if he does, it’s going to be a battle. We know what he brings on the other side of the field and he knows what we bring. So it’s going to be a big-on-big battle whoever he does follow. It’s going to be fun. Looking forward to it.
When Lamb says us, there’s one guy in particular that he’s referring to, and that’s George Pickens. So far this season, Pickens has been everything the Cowboys could have imagined he’d be when they traded for him back in May. Currently, he’s fourth in the NFL with 607 receiving yards and tied for second in receiving touchdowns with six.
Surtain plays mostly on the outside much like Pickens does as a pass catcher. So, there will certainly be some opportunities for them to compete one-on-one, and Pickens had some success against him last season when he was with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pickens is also ready for this test against Surtain.
Definitely. High competition. I definitely know and believe that we got the guys to compete.
The Broncos have one of the top defenses in the league against the pass as they rank fifth in yards allowed per game. That’s aided by being the top team in sacks with 34 due to guys like Nik Bonnito who is second in the league with eight on the year, and Jonathon Cooper with six which is third in that category. However, if the Cowboys offensive line can hold up, Lamb and Pickens are more than capable of giving Surtain problems when the matchup is across from him.
Lamb can run every route in the route tree and is dangerous in the open field with the ball in his hands. Pickens with his 6-foot-3 frame and big catch radius, along with being able to stack cornerbacks once he gets pass them off the line of scrimmage, will be a challenge for Surtain. Pickens could also find himself going up against Riley Moss quite a bit as well; he has allowed the lowest completion percentage of any defensive back this season, making that another matchup to watch. If they can have success, that will open up the running game for Dallas with Javonte Williams and his 592 yards which rank second in the league.
All eyes will be on Lamb and Pickens in terms of what they do against Surtain. As Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens once said, get your popcorn ready.
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