The Philadelphia Eagles may need a bit of a miracle in their Week 7 Monday Night Football showdown with the Dallas Cowboys, as their top three pass catchers could be out. That leaves rookie first-round pick Makai Lemon as the man who needs to do the job.
In two practices this week, the Eagles have been without DeVonta Smith (hamstring), Dallas Goedert (knee), and Dontayvion Wicks (ankle), as the three might not play against the Cowboys. That's literally their top three receivers who could be out.
Philly could be left with Darius Cooper, Johnny Mundt, and Lemon as the next three guys up to replace them. Eagles fans have been waiting six games for Lemon to break out, and he still hasn't. Could Week 7 finally be his chance to rise to the occasion?
Makai Lemon has not stood out through the first six games for the Eagles
Lemon's first six weeks have been relatively quiet, with few highlights. He has caught 18 passes for 127 yards, averaging just 7.1 yards per catch. While he's third on the team in receptions, he is fifth in receiving yards and has not caught a touchdown.
The Eagles have tried to get Lemon as involved in the offense as possible, but it hasn't worked. One major problem is that offensive coordinator Sean Mannion tried to force Lemon to run multiple screen passes that nearly always ended in negative yards.
Lemon's longest reception is 19 yards. The most yards he has had in a game is 43 yards.
It's becoming clear that the Eagles had a vision for him, but it hasn't worked out. That could be because the Eagles haven't used him correctly.
Despite playing in the slot, Lemon works best on the short-to-intermediate pass plays where he can use his route-running and quick-feet skills to get open and pick up yards after the catch. Those are the plays he succeeded with at USC, but for some reason, the Eagles haven't done that.
Eagles need Makai Lemon to break through in Week 7 Cowboys game
Much of this depends on how Mannion wants to call the offense, but Lemon needs to step up and prove he was a first-round talent. The Eagles may not have Smith or Wicks. That would put Cooper and Hollywood Brown/Elijah Moore on the outside, with Lemon in the slot.
With Tanner McKee running the show at quarterback, the Eagles won't want to push the ball downfield. That means they will want to keep routes short and make their receivers do the work on short-pass plays.
As long as it is not a screen pass, this is where Lemon can really thrive. He may command a lot of attention out of the slot, but the Cowboys' secondary is weak outside of Joey Porter Jr., and Darius Cooperdraw will most likely be on Darius Cooper.
The Eagles need to get Lemon moving on crossing routes that force a linebacker to stay stuck covering him, then take advantage of it. No one has seen Lemon's quickness and speed, so putting him in a position to catch the ball five yards downfield and letting him do the rest will bring out the best in him.
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It's desperation time for the Eagles, sitting at 2-4 as they enter the Cowboys game and potentially missing multiple top receivers. Lemon can't afford to have another game where he disappears from the game plan. Now is his time to step up and be the A.J. Brown replacement everyone expected when they drafted him back in April.
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