The New Orleans Saints have the tall task of stopping Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb on Sunday. Lamb had the most catches, second most yards and third most touchdowns last season.
The Saints ran Cover 1 on 33% of their defensive snaps in Week 1. If they run that much man coverage against the Cowboys, who will be responsible for covering Lamb?
Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor are playing, but will they be joined by Marshon Lattimore or Kool-Aid McKinstry? Lattimore’s health will ultimately make that decision. The answer to that question does affect the strategy.
If Lattimore plays, you likely trust Lattimore, Adebo and Taylor to line up in front of Lamb. The question becomes do you want Lattimore to slide inside to cover Lamb in the slot or let Taylor take on the challenge?
Lattimore has rarely done that through his career, but this is the type of matchup where exceptions could be made. Expect a heavy dosage of Lamb inside, regardless, as over half of his snaps and production came when lined up in the slot.
If Lattimore misses the game, things change. The Cowboys may align Lamb out wide to attack a rookie corner making his first career start. To avoid this, the Saints should consider allowing Adebo to shadow Lamb on the outside then Taylor can cover him on the inside.
Doesn’t matter which of the four corners it is, stopping CeeDee Lamb will be one of the hardest things the Saints have to do on Sunday.
