George Pickens didn't know an NFL game could end in a tie, until he played in one

Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens never expected Sunday’s game against the Packers to end in a tie. Because he never knew an NFL game could end in a tie.

Pickens told Jane Slater of NFL Network immediately after the game that he was puzzled when the game ended after 10 minutes of overtime, because he assumed when the Packers kicked the tying field goal at the end of overtime that they would then play a second overtime period.

“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? That’s a first time, yeah.”

It’s surprising that NFL players don’t know the rules — and surprising that coaches don’t make sure players know the rules, as understanding that the game is over if it’s tied at the end of overtime can be important for players to know for strategic and clock management purposes.

But Pickens is far from the first player not to know the rules. Many NFL players have acknowledged that they didn’t know about tie games until they played in one, most famously then-Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, who admitted after a 2008 tie that he had no idea ties happened in the NFL.

After all the attention paid to Sunday night’s Packers-Cowboys tie, you’d hope every NFL player now knows a game can end tie. But there’s a good chance that the next time a game ends tied, more players will reveal they just learned it was possible.

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