This Go-Route Combo Could Torch the NFL in 2025

The go-route—simple in concept, brutal in execution—a footrace up the sideline, a test of trust between quarterback and receiver. A route where the margin for error is razor-thin, but the rewards are game-breaking.

In 2025, the Dallas Cowboys may have finally assembled the NFL’s most dangerous go-route tandem.

Dak Prescott, one of the league’s most precise deep-ball quarterbacks when healthy, now pairs with George Pickens, arguably the NFL’s top receiver on verticals.

This isn’t just a scheme fit, it’s a marriage of complementary talent that could redefine the Cowboys’ offensive identity and give Dallas its most dangerous vertical pairing since the Tony Romo-Dez Bryant era.

Dak Prescott: The NFL’s Underrated Deep-Ball Artist

For years, Dak Prescott has been miscast in national discourse—criticized unfairly for playoff shortcomings while quietly ranking among the NFL’s most efficient quarterbacks in deep ball metrics.

From 2021 to 2023, Prescott maintained a deep ball completion percentage (throws 20+ yards downfield) of 43.05%, ranking in the top five in that span. He consistently beat defenses by:

• Recognizing single-high coverage looks pre-snap
• Manipulating safeties with eye movement
• Throwing with elite timing and touch, not just raw arm strength

But in 2024, Dak Prescott’s season was derailed by a major injury.

2024 Injury Recap:

• Suffered a partial avulsion of the right hamstring in week 9 vs. Atlanta
• Missed the final nine games of the season
• Finished with:
  • 1,978 passing yards
  • 11 TDs, 8 INTs
  • 64.7% completion rate
  • 86.0 passer rating (career low)

Despite the limited sample size, Prescott’s deep ball remained intact, according to PFF.com and their advanced stats, his passer rating on passes of 20+ yards was 93.7.

In other words: the ability did not disappear, the volume did.

Now healthy, Prescott enters 2025 as a proven veteran with an elite understanding of route timing and the best go-route target he’s ever had.

George Pickens: NFL’s Premier Go-Route Receiver

If you watched any Pittsburgh Steelers game since 2022, you know one thing: George Pickens was the vertical offense.

In a conservative system with rotating quarterbacks, Pickens still torched secondaries with a combination of:

• Long-strider speed
• Jump ball dominance
• Elite body control and sideline awareness

2024 Stats (Steelers):

• 14 games
• 900 receiving yards
• 3 TDs
• 15.3 yards per catch (3rd in the NFL for receivers with 100 catches)
• 2 TDS of 20+ yards
• 45.85% contested catch rate on go-routes

He didn’t just separate vertically, he finished.

Pickens showcased an ability to track the ball over his shoulder, fight through contact, and make highlight-reel plays even when blanketed.

George Pickens highlight reel to go with your morning coffee. ✭ pic.twitter.com/ZTs6LKwhRF

— Outl✭w (@OutlawCowboyNFL) May 7, 2025

He’s not just a deep threat, he’s a go-route specialist, something Dallas sorely lacked in 2024. His 6’3” frame, fluid hips, and sideline footwork create separation where there technically shouldn’t be any.

https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1936107284536738219

For a quarterback...