#fourth-down-strategy

#fourth-down-strategy

Pickens addition to the offense added an explosive element to the Cowboys' passing attack that we haven't seen in a few years. But CeeDee Lamb missed multiple games in 2025 with a high-ankle sprain and a concussion suffered in the Detroit Lions loss. With Lamb missing time throughout the season, George Pickens was asked to carry a heavy workload as the teams WR1 for parts of the season. Pickens shined for the most part in those games, but keeping both Lamb and Pickens healthy and on the field together for all 17 games would help the Cowboys offense be even more efficient, put up more yards and points in 2026.

If the Patriots' Week 16 game had gone far differently than what it inevitably became, which was a win, the conversation on Monday would be all about a head-scratching decision that immediately doomed their chances of leaving Baltimore the victors. Fortunately, that didn't come back to haunt them, and a fourth-quarter comeback led by Drake Maye allowed them to tie the Broncos for the best record in the league and maintain their one-game edge over the Bills for the AFC East.