It took one half for Eagles to instantly regret their plan at No. 2 CB

Dallas wasted no time taking advantage. Quarterback Dak Prescott connected with Lamb for a 32-yard gain with Adoree’ Jackson in coverage on the game's opening drive. The play led to a touchdown, and the Cowboys scored on their first four possessions, leaning on easy mismatches to Lamb and some sizable rushing lanes up front courtesy of Jalen Carter’s inexplicable pre-game ejection that left Philly thin along the defensive line.

Philly’s puzzling game plan for Lamb was a topic during a weather delay in the third quarter, with former Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett sharing this little nugget on the NBC broadcast: 

“I talked to Vic Fangio, their defensive coordinator, during training camp, and he had real concern about the corner opposite Mitchell. Darius Slay is gone. Isaiah Rodgers is gone. … There was a competition during camp and they were concerned, and rightfully so. Adoree’s having a hard time with CeeDee.”

The near hour-long break in action gave the Eagles plenty of time to adjust, and Lamb saw a heavy dose of either Mitchell or nickel corner Cooper DeJean in the fourth quarter. When Lamb wasn’t lined up in the slot, Mitchell moved to the left side of the field in coverage; he should have caught a game-sealing interception on the left side, but the ball slipped through his white gloves.

To be fair to Fangio and the Eagles, it was only Week 1. They’ve had a number of moving parts on defense this summer, and the majority of them are either young players or first-year starters. While Fangio did confirm that Mitchell could be used to shadow No. 1 wide receivers this year, he was clear that it would depend on the situation.

That situation came sooner than anyone in Philly wanted. If not for multiple drops by Lamb on well-placed throws from Prescott, Thursday’s opener could have ended on a sour note with plenty of coaching decisions to second-guess.

“There’s two factors,” Fangio said on when to have Mitchell shadow a receiver. “One, is there a guy on the other team worth doing it? And, two, can your guys do it? Because there’s a lot involved with doing it defensively. I’ve had years in a row where we never did it. Then I’ve had years where we did it every week. So, again, it will be an evolution.”