It is too much to claim that the Giants reshuffled their entire defensive alignment just because of CeeDee Lamb and the Cowboys.
But let’s call it a welcome side effect that the Giants should be better equipped to handle one of their biggest tormentors when top cornerback Adoree’ Jackson takes his new slot-heavy role than they were as Lamb compiled 37 catches for 494 yards in his first six career games in this rivalry.
Add in quarterback Dak Prescott — who the Giants haven’t beaten since 2016 — and there’s all the more need for a counterpunch with Jackson.
“Not just receivers like him — but across the league — you take those matchups personally,” Jackson said. “It’s not like basketball where you play someone four times. It’s all about taking this series personal because you never know when it’ll be your last snap. Every matchup … you take personal and want to go out there and showcase and display your best.”
Lamb played 52.5 percent of his snaps out of the slot — compared to just 8.8 percent for Jackson — last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Their most memorable head-to-head battle — Jackson only played four snaps in the slot and two in the box when the teams met in Week 3 — resulted in Lamb’s one-handed touchdown catch from Cooper Rush despite Jackson’s tight isolation coverage on a fade to the back pylon.
“You just nod your head, tip your hat off to them and just keep back lining it up,” Jackson said. “We talked about it on the sideline. I remember that vividly, asking what I could have done better. It was one of those you don’t really harp too much on it. It could go 50/50.”
The Giants won’t have to wait long for a read if the coin flip favors them with this schematic change.
Lamb was the NFL’s most productive receiver out of the slot (63 catches for 867 yards) last season and his company among the leaders in yards per slot route run — Cooper Kupp (Rams), Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers (Raiders), and Tyreek Hill (Dolphins), according to PFF — appear later on the Giants’ schedule.
“When you have a quarterback and receiver on the same page — you can look at numerous duos — when they are the favorite target and give them the ball, a lot of things can happen,” Jackson said. “I don’t think [the change] was for this game in particular but just about the long haul. It was more of a trajectory of what we want to do throughout the season.”
The emergence of rookie cornerbacks Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins — projected starters on the outside in the nickel package — allowed the Giants to tinker with different looks in training camp.
But Jackson said the idea of shifting inside first was suggested to him last season — plans that likely were shelved because he missed the final seven games of the regular season (including the rematch against the Cowboys) due to a knee injury.
“This is a game of matchups, so if you play man-to-man, maybe you decide where you want to put the players,” head coach Brian Daboll said. “If it’s zone, maybe you make it look like man and vice versa. With the game becoming more spread out, the need for more corners and skill players for the space element is important.”
So is the need for the versatility Jackson offers.
If the Giants are in a two-cornerback package, Jackson likely will take one of the rookies’ place on the outside, which means he can shadow Lamb’s every move.
“It’s a credit to him because playing inside is a lot different than outside,” NFL Network analyst Jason McCourty, a retired 13-year NFL cornerback, told The Post. “If you have the ability to do both, you’re usually a smart guy because inside involves the linebacker position as well.”
Lamb could see an increase in slot usage after the Cowboys’ offseason addition of six-time 1,000-yard receiver Brandin Cooks to provide the outside complement that was missing once Amari Cooper was traded away.
Or not.
“There’s reputation based on what you did last year. It doesn’t mean much,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “The reality is 35 percent of the plays Week 1 are from unscouted looks.”
The Giants might be glad they didn’t tip off the Cowboys to their plans last season.
“When it came about this year it was a déjà vu moment: Been there, done that, had that conversation and talk,” Jackson said. “I was ecstatic about the opportunity.”
