The Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys played a thrilling game on Sunday night that ended in a tie, and George Pickens apparently thought the game was going to continue after the final whistle blew.
The Cowboys’ Week 4 game against the Packers ended in a 40-40 tie at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Green Bay kicker Brandon McManus converted a 53-yard field goal at the end of regulation to tie the game at 37-37. The two teams then traded field goals in overtime before the OT period ran out.
Pickens had a huge game with 8 catches for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns. In an on-field interview with Jane Slater of NFL Network, the star wide receiver admitted that he had no idea NFL games could end in a tie.
“I’ve never been a part of a tie in my life. I didn’t even know football worked like that,” Pickens said. “I thought we just would start another quarter right now and keep going. But a tie, it’s the first time (for me), yeah.”
George Pickens is most fans when it comes to OT and ties 🤣 Big night for GP but hard one to reconcile after 2 TDs and 134 receiving yards pic.twitter.com/9xaPe4KMQ3
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) September 29, 2025
Many people will be stunned to hear that an NFL player was unaware of the overtime rules, but Pickens is not alone.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan made some comments after his team’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl two years ago that suggested he did not know the overtime rules for the postseason, which are different from the regular season.
The NFL has made changes to OT rules in recent years that are difficult to keep up with. In this instance, there was no harm in Pickens not knowing the rules. That might not always be the case, but at least he is aware of the format now.
