The Dallas Cowboys have seemed like they were clinging to their playoff hopes since almost the first game of the regular season — a 24-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL’s regular season opener.
While that game will always be remembered for Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott before the first snap and getting ejected, it was also arguably the worst game of NFL All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb’s career.
How bad was it for Lamb? If not for 3 uncharacteristic drops by him in the second half, the Cowboys may have started the season with a win over the defending Super Bowl champions.
With Lamb and fellow star wide receiver George Pickens now hitting on all cylinders and with the Cowboys making big moves on the trade deadline to shore up their defense, they might actually have a shot when the Eagles visit AT&T Stadium in Week 12.
ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky thinks the key to the Cowboys winning the game will be Prescott quickly identifying wherever Eagles cornerback Adoree Jackson is on the field and throwing in that direction.
“If I’m Dak Prescott, Adoree Jackson, I’m searching for him and trying to find way to hunt him,” Orlovsky said on November 20. “You see (cornerback) Quinyon Mitchell lined up on CeeDee Lamb or Pickens, that’s fine, because that means Adoree Jackson is covering the other one. And that’s what you look for.”
Whatever you might think of Orlovsky, who has proven to be a much better as an analyst than he ever was as an NFL quarterback, you can’t say he’s wrong in this case.
Jackson Was Generational Prep Recruit
Jackson was a once-in-a-generation, 5-star high school recruit for USC out of Juniperro Serra High School as the No. 1 ranked athlete and No. 6 overall recruit in the Class of 2014.
Jackson was as advertised at USC. He played wide receiver, cornerback and returned punts and kicks for 3 seasons on the way to over 3,200 all-purpose yards, 16 total touchdowns and winning the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back in 2016.
He left school early for the NFL draft and was taken in the first round (No. 18 overall) by the Tennessee Titans. He played 4 seasons in Tennessee before he was released in a salary cap move and signed a 3-year, $39 million free agent contract with the New York Giants in 2021.
Jackson played 4 seasons for the Giants before signing a 1-year, $1.755 million contract with the Eagles in March.
Philly Struggles to Fill CB Role Opposite Mitchell
While it hasn’t been as noticeable lately, the Eagles spent the first half of the season trying to figure out ways to fill the outside cornerback role opposite Mitchell, a 2024 first round pick who has already established himself as one of the NFL’s handful of elite cover corners.
The Eagles tried to add another cover corner when they traded for Jakorian Bennett early in the season, but Bennett went on injured reserve and Jackson has still struggled mightily. According to Pro Football Focus, Jackson’s overall grade of 51.6 through 10 games puts him 93rd out of 108 eligible cornerbacks.
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