George Pickens vs. Justin Jefferson expects to be a fascinating duel as the Minnesota Vikings hope to revitalize their season against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15.
If you're a fan of exciting wide receiver play, you'll want to tune into this one.
The Minnesota Vikings made history last week, and while being the lowest-ranked NFC team yet to be eliminated from playoff contention, they face a tough opponent in the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15 who are also on the brink dropping out of the postseason race.
Though the Vikings throttled the Washington Commanders 31-0 in Week 14, it came with minimal production from Minnesota's best player: elite wideout Justin Jefferson.
Over in the Motor City, a similar storyline played out - but it resulted in a loss on the scoreboard. Dallas saw All-Pro pass-catcher CeeDee Lamb go down with a concussion, and breakout star George Pickens stir up controversy by seemingly jogging to a lackluster statistical output in the Cowboys' 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions.
That figures to make this Week 15 matchup as the beginning of a redemption tour for both Jefferson and Pickens as they aim to get back to their regular ways
So, in other words: it could turn out to be must-see TV.
Since entering the league, Jefferson has been one of the best receivers in football with two All-Pro First Team selections to his name. His 91.6 receiving yards per game in his six-year career is the active leader and would be an NFL record if he retired today.
But last week against Washington, the helpless Commanders held "Jets" to just two receptions and 11 yards. That's a crash landing to his standards.
The star wideout also offered a somewhat cryptic response to his low production, saying that he'd favor a win over individual success.
"I'd rather win and not get the ball, then lose and not get the ball," he said. So, at least there's that.
In Dallas, Pickens for the first time showed a brief example of the "Pittsburgh Pickens" behavior that ultimately drove the Steelers to trade him, citing immaturity in on- and off-field outbursts.
READ MORE: George Pickens Receives X's-and-O's Cowboys Defense in ESPN Debate
"GP" has been nothing short of spectacular for the Cowboys this season - sitting third in the league in yards and touchdowns - while also showing that he's cleaned up this reputation of an explosive personality. That's what has fans so rattled about this peculiar case against Detroit.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer has spoken with his young receiver and expects there to be a turnaround in Dallas' next game.
"I talked to George about a lot of things, I'll keep that between George and I," Schottenheimer said this week at The Star. "I love watching the guy play football. I'll just leave it at that. I think the guy has more fun playing football than most people.
"I think when you do that, I think that's usually a recipe when you're as talented as he is, that's why you can impact games the way that he does.”
And if Lamb sits the "Sunday Night Football" affair vs. Minnesota ... Pickens will have every opportunity to make an impact (while also considering the rise of Ryan Flournoy).
Jefferson and Pickens are two of the league's most electrifying athletes, so putting them on the same field makes for exciting primetime television.
That's especially true when they are as motivated to perform as they will be this week.
You won't want to miss it.
READ MORE: Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb Offers Update Following Concussion vs. Lions