‘Made For This’: Ryan Flournoy’s 46-Yard Catch With George Pickens Out Sets Up Dallas Cowboys’ Winning Touchdown vs. Indianapolis Colts

INDIANAPOLIS — Down 23-20 with 1:37 left Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys went to Ryan Flournoy on the first snap of their final drive. Flournoy beat Indianapolis Colts cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner down the right side for 46 yards to the Colts’ 19, and Javonte Williams scored from 1 yard out three plays later in a 27-23 win at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Flournoy started with George Pickens inactive because of a hamstring injury, the first game Pickens has missed since Dallas traded for him in May 2025. Flournoy finished with 2 catches for 53 yards. On the same drive, a pass interference penalty on a throw to him at the Indianapolis 6 moved the ball to the 1.

The words Flournoy repeats come from a belief in himself after overcoming a lot of adversity. He played at Central Missouri and Iowa Western before finishing at Southeast Missouri State, and Dallas drafted him in the sixth round, 216th overall, in 2024.

“Before every single drive, I step up, I pray to God, and in that particular prayer, after I was finished, I said I’m made for this, and I told myself I’m made for this,” Flournoy said. “I’m made for this in the huddle. That calling play, I’m talking to myself. I’m made for this. Not even knowing the play could have been a run play. I was gonna go out and block.”

“I was made to block, but called the pass play, and I ran my route,” Flournoy continued. “[When I] seen the ball in the air, I just knew I was made for that moment to catch it.”

Being the next man up has been the story of his life, Flournoy said. Pickens had 39 catches for 533 yards through eight games, and his receiving yardage ranked 14th in the NFL entering the weekend.

“With GP out, he’s a tremendous football player. Impact the game in so many ways, and I just knew I had to step up to that,” Flournoy explained. “And I knew I could impact the game in so many ways, whether that’s catching the ball, blocking, and or whatever it is they need me to do. I knew I could do it.”

Dak Prescott, Brian Schottenheimer Explain Ryan Flournoy’s 46-Yard Catch

Dak Prescott said Flournoy does everything right and means a great deal to the offense. Flournoy entered Sunday with 30 catches for 342 yards this season.

“That just developed because the coverage we’re seeing. I wouldn’t say that that play is necessarily called for that play, for that throw, for that shot. But depends on how the defense plays it,” Prescott said. “Your safety is going to look up, number three, he’s looking up the wide. And I know I’ve got one-on-one outside.”

“And as I said, a lot of times, depending on matchups, you may not even go there because it’s a field throw, because of maybe who that corner is, or maybe that’s a receiver that you’re just running off,” Prescott continued. “But that was my read. I’ve got the utmost confidence in Flo, and he [showed] why.”

Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer felt really good about the matchup. Both Indianapolis corners play underneath, he said, and CeeDee Lamb had caught a 44-yard touchdown down the right sideline before halftime.

“We are moving guys around a little bit. CeeDee had been outside a bunch. We hit the big play in two minutes to [CeeDee] outside, so we put him inside in the slot, wanting to see what they were going to do, and thought Dak made a beautiful throw,” Schottenheimer said. “These guys, both these corners, are great players, but they play underneath. So you have a chance to kind of take shots down the field on them.”

“And what an incredible catch I heard. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve heard it was an incredible catch,” Schottenheimer added. “Flo’s a really good player too. … The world doesn’t talk enough about Ryan Flournoy and what he does. Type of player he is. Special talent, special young man.”

Prescott said Lamb and Pickens run the receivers room and have elevated the talent in it. Receivers Jonathan Mingo, Camden Brown, and Jordan Hudson, an undrafted rookie elevated from the practice squad Saturday, also played.

“No, I didn’t necessarily change the game plan, if anything. It just moved CeeDee around into some personnel, getting him into some of the spots that [Pickens] would have been,” Prescott explained. “But as I said, I’ve got … Flo stepping up, and Mingo stepping up, Cam Brown. I mean, you saw Jordan Hudson in there for a play or so. The way that CeeDee and George run that room and have elevated that talent, and those guys are just itching to get their opportunity. So when you get guys like that, you’re excited to see what they’re gonna do.”

CeeDee Lamb, Tyler Guyton Vouch For Flournoy

Lamb entered Sunday leading the NFL with 92 targets, and Pickens wears No. 3. Lamb said he and Flournoy communicated throughout the game about what they saw from the defense.

“Shout out Flo, man. Shout out Flo. We were just having a big conversation just throughout the game, just communicating as to what we were seeing on defense. And I kept seeing that the safety was rolling over me,” Lamb said. “Obviously, realizing that 3 is not there, and they’re gonna make somebody else beat them. Just giving my guys a quick pep talk, like this is our moment. Like this is why you’re here. Show the world why, like, what you can do. And I know my guys can win one-on-one.”

“And shout out Flo, winning one-on-one on one of the top guys at DB in this league on a go ball, clutch, clutch situation,” Lamb continued. “And it gave us all the momentum that we needed.”

Lamb sometimes tells Flournoy to chill because he never takes breaks. Flournoy’s other catch was a 7-yard gain on third-and-6 in the first quarter.

“He’s just always ready for the moment. The way he preps, the way that he works every single day, he don’t really take any breaks. I be kind of thinking about him, like, yo, bro, you gotta chill, like, just relax. Make it to the game,” Lamb explained. “But as for him, he’s a hard worker, and I mean, it shows in moments like this. Just always being ready for his number to be called, and when it’s called in big games and big situations, he shows up.”

Tyler Guyton and Flournoy arrived in the same 2024 draft class, Guyton in the first round at No. 29 and Flournoy in the sixth. Guyton said the pass interference penalty near the goal line added up along with the catch.

“Flo’s a guy that came in with me, and I’ve just seen the way that he works and how committed he is. And I’m just so happy for him to have this opportunity and come up big like this for our team,” Guyton said. “He’s an amazing player, and he’s so mentally resilient. I’m just super proud of him.”

Tyler Goodson said Dallas has a lot of injuries right now. Tight end Jake Ferguson and safety P.J. Locke were both hurt Sunday.

“We’re resilient. This team is full of guys that’s ready for their situation. Know their role. But when it’s time to come up and step up and play a big role, guys on this team know that we have to make that play,” Goodson said. “And I just think it just goes to the preparation and discipline and the consistency that a guy like Flo has been putting in year after year, and it just keeps show[ing], and as you do that, you get rewarded.”

Flournoy has 32 catches for 395 yards this season. Dallas hosts the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Nov. 15, at AT&T Stadium, with kickoff set for 3:25 p.m. CT on FOX.