Not much about Week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys made any Philadelphia Eagles fan happy after the team lost its fifth straight game, 38-21. Still, rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon was at least a bright spot.
Going into the game, Lemon had plenty of targets but produced very little. He was only averaging 7.1 yards per reception before the Cowboys game. Much of that falls on Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion for calling five million screen passes for Lemon, but his production didn't match his first-round status.
Talks started that it could be after multiple other Eagles rookies failed since the 2025 draft. That narrative thankfully changed after Lemon delivered a solid performance in Week 7.
Makai Lemon balled out for Eagles despite 17-point loss to the Cowboys
The highlight play came on the team's opening third-quarter drive, when he caught a pass on fourth-and-one and gained 15 yards for a first down. He capped the drive with an impressive four-yard touchdown catch, leaning over the goal line to secure it. That was the first touchdown of his young NFL career.
Lemon finished the game with team highs in targets (eight), receptions (seven), yards (67), and touchdowns (one). Despite averaging just 9.6 yards per reception, he was efficient on every catch, and his only incompletion came when quarterback Tanner McKee threw the ball behind him for a "drop".
It was clear throughout the game that a chemistry was being buil between McKee and Lemon; that was undeniable. That mattered because they will be working together all season long.
This was also a clutch performance from Lemon, since the Eagles were missing DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks due to injuries. It was the one game when Philly needed Lemon to step up, and he answered the bell.
Eagles' future looks a lot better now that Makai Lemon might actually be a good player
This season, Lemon has 25 receptions for 194 yards and one touchdown. He has upped his average yards per catch to 7.8.
Sure, the rookie's numbers may not be earth-shattering, but Lemon still came up big and showed everything Eagles fans hoped he would. It took seven weeks to get there, but he has the skill set to be a great receiver on this team.
Mannion finally let Lemon go vertical and catch the ball in front of the line of scrimmage. That was great to see, as Lemon did much of the work after the catch. Philly needed to do that all game since he is great at separating himself from defenders and using his speed to gain yards.
Lemon had to play a bit out of position, sometimes on the outside, but that didn't make him any less productive. When he won, he made plays and showed why the Eagles drafted him.
Read more: Eagles' Week 7 loss pushed them out of Quenton Nelson sweepstakes (and others)
This was a good glimpse into Lemon's future, as the Eagles don't need him to be an All-Pro right now with Smith there. They need Lemon to be a reliable third-down receiver who can eventually move into a WR2 role if things don't work out with Wicks. So far, Lemon is trending beautifully in that direction.
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