Jerry Jones says 'of course' Cowboys can win out, he's not questioning George Pickens' effort in loss to Lions

The Dallas Cowboys are picking up the pieces after a 44-30 defeat to the Detroit Lions on Thursday plummeted their postseason odds.

That includes longtime owner and general manager Jerry Jones. But despite playoff simulators now giving the Cowboys less than a 10% chance to get in, Jones remains confident in his group - and in wideout George Pickens, who faced flak after recording only 37 receiving yards against an injury-riddled Lions secondary.

"We have a better team than we played last night. We do. Detroit is a good team, but we have a better team," Jones said Friday on 105.3 The FAN in Dallas. "So can we literally win out? Of course we can win out. Is it going to be hard? Double of course it is to win out. A lot of crazy things happen."

The Cowboys are 6-6-1, with games against the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders and New York Giants still on the schedule. They're currently behind the 7-6 Carolina Panthers and 8-5 Lions, who are both looking up at the 9-4 San Francisco 49ers. San Francisco currently occupies the third and final wild-card spot in the NFC.

With a win Thursday in Detroit, the Cowboys' playoff odds would have jumped to 39%, according to Next Gen Stats. Dallas would've put immense pressure on the 8-4 Eagles, who are clinging to their NFC East lead after dropping back-to-back games.

While characteristically bullish on his Cowboys, Jones was searching for reasons behind his team's midweek setback when he joined 105.3 The FAN on Friday.

Jerry Jones on the #DallasCowboys' dwindling playoff odds:

"We have a better team than we played last night. We do. ... Can we literally win out? Of course, we can win out. Is it going to be hard? Double of course it is. A lot of crazy things happen. ... I like to daydream..." pic.twitter.com/mbfNAQ2sIZ

- 105.3 The FAN (@1053thefan) December 5, 2025

Jones: 'I understand the frustration of our fans'

The Cowboys entered Ford Field having allowed fewer than 365 total yards of offense in four straight games. Then they conceded 408 yards to a Lions team that has been Jekyll and Hyde on the offensive side of the ball this season.

Dallas' offensive line was overwhelmed by an aggressive Detroit defense that sacked Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott five times after piling up a combined four sacks the previous four games. A revamped Dallas defensive interior had a hard time as well. The Cowboys allowed more than 100 rushing yards for the second game in a row and mustered just a 25.7% pressure rate - Dallas' third-lowest of the season, per Next Gen Stats - against a Lions' offensive front that, at times this season, has struggled mightily inside.

"We had a tough go of it inside our trenches last night," Jones said on 105.3 The FAN, per The Athletic's Jon Machota. "That was unexpected. That was a real puzzler for me watching it."

Jones also noted, according to Machota, that Dallas should've been more productive, particularly given that the Lions weren't "at full speed," whereas the Cowboys were relatively healthy.

"I'll tell you this right now," Jones said, per Machota, "I didn't think I'd be sitting here when we kicked off last night explaining why we didn't play better than we played. I understand the frustration of our fans. But stay tuned."

Jones isn't worried about Pickens after receiver's dip in production vs. Lions

Pickens hauled in five catches on nine targets against the Lions, who were eventually down to their fourth and fifth safeties after Thomas Harper suffered a concussion and Brian Branch went down with an ankle injury, which reportedly is a torn Achilles.

Pickens' 37 receiving yards were the fourth-most on the team against the Lions, and that's after he played most of the second half without four-time Pro Bowl receiver CeeDee Lamb on the field.

Lamb put on a show through the first two quarters and change, with six grabs for 121 receiving yards. Then he left with a concussion early in the third frame after trying to make an acrobatic reception in the end zone.

Pickens, who has set career highs with 78 catches, 1,179 receiving yards and 8 receiving touchdowns in his first season with the Cowboys, was the subject of criticism postgame, most notably from former five-time Pro Bowl cornerback and current Amazon Prime NFL analyst Richard Sherman.

Sherman took a shot at Pickens' effort, including on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, when an on-target slant his way was deflected into an interception.

"The big story here is George Pickens," Sherman said. "George Pickens throughout the game, especially late in the game, just looked uninterested in playing football. That's what you can't have. If you're going to be a superstar, if you want to be the best receiver in the National Football League, you can't ever be disengaged. Doesn't matter if the game's going your way or not going your way. You can't just disappear in these games, or else you're not going to have an impact. ..."

Sherman added: "You can't be the guy and half-ass it. I'm sorry. It's unacceptable. And if you're the Dallas Cowboys, and you're looking at him, and you're looking to pay him big-time receiver money ... you've got to look at this tape and say, 'Hey, is this a guy we can trust paying $40 million to show up, regardless of circumstance?' I don't know."

Pickens took issue with Sherman's commentary and shared his thoughts on social media, emphasizing that "this is a team game" and "stop becoming a analyst and talking about one player when he playin a teams game," among several other things.

While Pickens' immaturity reportedly factored into the Pittsburgh Steelers' trading him to Dallas in the offseason, Jones has been vocal about wanting to re-sign the 2022 second-round pick after his breakout year with the Cowboys.

Jones was asked Friday on 105.3 The FAN if he thought Pickens had an effort issue against the Lions.

"He didn't have the game that he's been having," Jones said. "But effort, I would be very careful with him going there. This guy, he's explosive with his temperament, and I say that in a positive way. So I don't think so much it was effort, but I don't necessarily have a good explanation as to why he didn't show up more, especially again against the backdrop of they were limited in their secondary.

"... I would have thought it would have been 'Pickens Grand Central.' I'm not disappointed, other than the fact that it could have helped us win that ball game. But no, I'm not at all concerned going forward about Pickens."

Pickens and the Cowboys will have a chance to get back on track next week against the Vikings. For now, the talk of the town is their missed opportunity in Detroit and their exceptionally talented yet unpredictable wideout.