Yards and touchdowns don’t always tell the whole story. Sometimes impact eludes the stat sheet, and players go unrecognized for their quiet impacts. Such is the case for a trio of Dallas Cowboys pass catchers in Week 1. The stat sheet will show Jake Ferguson, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens combined for 10 receptions and 78 yards. Advanced analytics show there’s more to the story.
Tracking EPA (expected points added), we can see the impact of any given play on the Cowboys’ scoring probability. This includes plays in which they advance the ball with runs and receptions and also plays where they draw penalties.
Pickens, Lamb and Ferguson all drew pass interference calls in Week 1. Pickens’ PI call in particular was extremely valuable, resulting in +3.92
EPA, making it the most valuable play of the entire contest. This 38-yard penalty converted a 3rd-and-11 situation for Dallas in the second quarter, shifting the win probability by 11 percent. It marked the most valuable PI call in the NFL in Week 1 and it’s easy to see why.
Ferguson also managed to draw a highly valuable flag on one of his rare targets that night. Fouled in the Giants endzone, Ferguson earned an enormous +2.42 EPA as he set up a fairly easy touchdown for the Cowboys.
Lamb, the engine of this Cowboys passing game, made his impression felt through PI calls as well. With two penalties called in his favor, Lamb produced +0.76 on one play and +0.18 on another play, totaling +0.93 in total EPA.
Cowboys WR George Pickens on drawing pass interference penalties: “I definitely know it’s going to happen to me just because of my catch radius. And I don’t think guys want to let me catch any type of ball.
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 17, 2026
“I’d rather have the catch. I want the catch and the and-1. That’s… pic.twitter.com/kDumzHQVkr
These players offered up far more than their standard receiving yards indicate and in Ferguson’s case, the EPA gained by PI far exceeded the EPA gained by actually catching the ball. It may seem like drawing penalties are nothing more than luck, but the reality is it’s a somewhat sustainable stat since both Pickens and Lamb were league leaders in PI last season.
Throwing sideline balls against man coverage are always going to draw flags. Defenders will be playing with their backs to the ball as they try to stay in-phase with receivers. Pickens, Lamb and even Flournoy have plus ball skills which can be devastating on the boundary. Ferguson and Lamb, two players who generally line up in the middle, have the benefit of a 180-degree release at the line. It makes coverage difficult and notoriously draws flags in the form of holding or PI.
The key to it all is the quarterback’s trust in his pass catchers. Without Dak Prescott aggressively pushing balls downfield, PI calls aren’t possible. He just so happens to trust this trio of pass catchers to a significant degree and has no problem letting it fly even in tight situations.
It’s a stat that deserves to be tracked all season because it’s highly impactful on the game and should be sustainable given this particularly talented cast of characters.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys’ ability to draw PI calls is both noteworthy and sustainable
