​(Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) | Getty Images It’s fair to say Thursday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was one of the Dallas Cowboys’ worst regular-season performances of the last two decades. Dallas came into the game as 8.5-point favorites and ended up losing 24-16 to a winless Buccaneers team.As has been a theme all season, Dallas’ defense was once again unable to stop a nosebleed in this matchup. Tampa moved the ball up and down the field with ease all night long, recording 419 yards of total offense and outscoring Dallas 17-6 in the second half.At this point in time, the only way the Cowboys seem to be able to win games is if their offense plays the hero and carries them to a victory. Unfortunately for Dallas, unlike last weekend in Houston, their offense was not able to get going on Thursday night. The Cowboys struggled against the Buccaneers’ defense that blitzed at a high rate and had Dallas’ offense looking out of sync for most of the night.While the offense did not play well as a whole, there was one player who had far and away his best performance of the season. That guy was wide receiver George Pickens. For the first time this season, the 25-year-old looked like the guy we saw throughout the entirety of the 2025 campaign, earning him this week’s game ball award.Pickens finished the game with nine catches for 130 yards and a touchdown, all season highs. Pickens’ 83.0 Pro Football Focus receiving grade was the highest of any wideout in the contest, as was his 43 YAC. SIX FOR PICKENS @TBvsDAL on Prime VideoStream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/h3gLE06eDP— NFL (@NFL) October 9, 2026#GeorgePickens#George#Pickens#DallasCowboys#DakPrescott#Dallas#Cowboys#Dak#Prescott#Qb#WRpic.twitter.com/3cjPOOKic4— Ball In Sports Net (@BallInSportsNet) October 9, 2026This performance was the type of game we expected to see on a consistent basis from George Pickens this season. While it may have taken him a few weeks to get his feet wet, Thursday’s night’s performance may have been a sign of things to come for the 25-year-old wideout.If the Cowboys offense wants to be GOTI, as they’ve deemed themselves, they need Pickens to be playing at a consistently high level like he was last season. We’ll see if Dallas can use Thursday night’s performance from the wideout as a building block to get him playing at a high level once again.